It’s called the FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid and it’s the first step in finding out if a student is eligible for funds to help pay for college.
“Families should look at it as a gateway to financial aid.”
Diann Cosme is the director of MI Student Aid, MiLEAP. She says people skip the form thinking it's too complicated, or they won’t qualify for help, but she believes everyone should fill it out, as some calculations have changed.
“For the State of Michigan alone you’re talking possibly 20 thousand more eligible applicants for Pell Grant consideration.”
There’s also the new Michigan Achievement Scholarship available as of 2023. Many colleges use the FAFSA to help determine eligibility for other scholarships. Recent revamping has made the online forms faster and more intuitive to fill out.
“It’s really to open up the door, open up the gateway to eligibility for the student for them to see what other resources might be available to them.”
Students and families can find the FAFSA by visiting https://studentaid.gov/
