Joyce Gad- Mustangs Ahead

(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form needed to fill out in order to receive financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college.

Completing the FAFSA form is easy and free and is able to provide you with a large source of financial aid such as federal grants, work study, and loans.

In-person and virtual workshops are provided for all students and their families to assist them in completing the form. The next virtual workshop is scheduled for Thursday and can be accessed here.

When applying for FAFSA, some questions asked are regarding income, asset, household size, number of children enrolled in college, etc.

 In order to apply students must have:

  • Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID for yourself
  • FSA ID for your parent/guardian
  • Social Security Number
  • Driver License Number
  • 2021 W-2 forms and other records of money earned during that year
  • 2021 Federal Income Tax Return
  • Current business and investment mortgage information
  • Business and farm records
  • Stock, bonds, and other investment records
  • Alien registration or permanent resident card (If you are not a U.S. citizen)

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LRHS college and career adviser Dr. Carmen Purpus said that in 2021 about $4-billion in grant money was left unclaimed by the college freshmen class.  Students were eligible but had not completed the FAFSA form.

There are many misconceptions on FAFSA where students believe that as long as they have a source of payment for their tuition that FAFSA is unnecessary however, most scholarships require the completion of FAFSA to apply.

Purpus explains “Our students don’t need to leave any money on the table, they should get all the financial support they can.”

 FAFSA is one of the most important things that can be done to aid the college journey as it opens opportunities to make the college experience easier.