Oct 01, 2018

Question of the Day: How many seniors in your high school completed the FAFSA last year?

Answers wil vary.

You can find this answer by clicking on this link here and searching for your school. Use the "Applications Complete" figure for the 2018-19 cycle.

Questions:

  • Why is the FAFSA important when it comes to paying for college?
  • What percent of seniors in your high school completed the FAFSA? Hint: Take the number of completed FAFSAs and divide by number of 2018 graduates.
  • What do you think are some of the reasons that 100% of seniors didn’t complete the FAFSA?
  • Do you plan on completing the FAFSA? If so, when? Note that October 1st is the first date that you can complete the FAFSA for the 2019-20 school year.

Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Michelle Singletary WaPo column):

Starting Oct. 1, the 2019/20 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form becomes available. Whether your child will be applying for early admission to college or is a returning student, you need to make sure the form is completed as soon as possible. Procrastinating can cost you money.

With limited funds, it’s a first-come, first-served financial-aid world, folks. Those who file early get a better shot at receiving funds – both need- and merit-based.

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Want to dive in deeper on the FAFSA? Check out the NGPF Lesson: Applying for FAFSA.

 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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