There has been a recent spike in high school students applying for college financial aid — and completing the process earlier — whereas in previous years about $54 million per year in federal dollars were left on the table because students simply didn’t apply for the funds.
At this time last year, only 2 percent of seniors had turned in their forms for the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance, or FAFSA; this year 26 percent of students have done so, ahead of the July deadline.
Louisiana has nearly 42,000 public high school seniors, and about 11,000 students had submitted forms by Jan. 13, according to the state Department of Education.
“We have two career counselors that come in twice a week for one-on-one meetings with our senior students and they actually sit down and work with them in getting the FAFSA forms and other college paperwork completed,” said Judy Harrison, a counselor for seniors at LaGrange High School.
“We have seen a definite increase in those forms getting done.”
Harrison said that because of possible cuts to the TOPS program “it’s vital that students seek FAFSA, scholarships and other possibilities for college funding. It can be quite a shock to parents and students to find out what it actually costs to attend college.”
LaGrange senior Dezarea Huntsberry, who wants major in pre-law or business at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, said it was a “relief” to have her FAFSA application completed.
“I’m so happy that I had some help getting my FAFSA done,” she said. “I probably had at least a hundred questions, but our career counselors were able to help with all of my questions.”
Jordan Wilson, also a senior at LaGrange, said the process of filling out the FAFSA would have been “overwhelming” without having some assistance. “I’m just glad that it’s done,” he said. “It seemed like a lot of stuff to go through but with someone helping me it made it a lot easier.”
McNeese Financial Aid Director Taina Savoit said that due to TOPS funding cuts more students are seeking other funding.
She said more high school seniors are getting their forms in early because “the application became available on Oct. 1, 2016, four months earlier than the previous timeline of January. Instead of having to wait until January to file, a change in policy at the U.S. Department of Education opened the door for students to begin applying early.”
Savoit said that every student is urged to fill out the FAFSA since based on the single application “students are also automatically considered for federal and state grants, federal student loans, and even part-time jobs on campus.”
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