Financial Aid & FAFSA Night

2024-2025 Senior info/FAFSA NIGHT

The 2026-2027 FAFSA Application is expected to open on OCTOBER 1st, 2025. The sooner a student completes their application, the more funding they could receive. 

Senior Info Night

September 30th @5:30pm

Seniors and their families/parents/guardians are encouraged to attend this meeting to discuss all the requirements Seniors will be expected to meet prior to graduation in May. Seniors and parents will be given a checklist of everything they will need to prepare for, from what to expect from financial aid, when local scholarship packets are distributed, to the senior trip and other important dates/tasks. 

2026 Senior Advisor - Mrs. Walser

FAFSA Graduation Requirement

Illinois requires all public high school seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or, if applicable, the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid as a graduation requirement (Illinois School Code 105 ILCS 5/22-87, Sec. 22-87). The Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid allows qualifying undocumented students and some transgender students who are not eligible for federal financial aid to apply for state financial aid. Local school district staff must provide supp​​ort and assistance to students and parents/guardians in the application process.

Alternatively, a parent/guardian must file a waiver if they choose to opt a child out of this graduation requirement by completing the Nonparticipation form; students who are least 18 years of age or legally emancipated may complete the form themselves.

This requirement ensures students have a chance to discover what resources are available to fund their next steps after high school. Completing the FAFSA or Alternative Application counts as an automatic application for a variety of financial aid resources, including Illinois’ Monetary Award Program (known as MAP), as well as private scholarships offered at many institutions. Financial aid obtained through the FAFSA can also pay for technical or vocational school.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) offers assistance to schools by hosting free online Financial Aid Completion Workshops for students and families to give them personalized help through the process. These workshops are led by ISACorps​​ members, who are recent college graduates trained by ISAC to serve as near peer mentors to high school students -- an invaluable resource to help young adults think through some of the most important decisions of their lives. ISAC also offers Illinois school districts a way to identify students who have not yet submitted a financial aid application to give them extra assistance or encouragement to complete an application.

📌More details about the FAFSA graduation requirement here

Financial aid completion workshop

This year during Parent/Teacher Conferences, I will be available to help students and parents with completing the FAFSA Application. I can help to guide through any issues that may come up, and answer any questions you have. You will need to have your 2024 Tax Documents available. 

Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled October 22-23, 2025

The application has streamlined the process into two quick online forms, one required to be completed by the graduating student and another required to be completed by one parent/guardian or both parents. 

*Situations may vary for parents/guardians depending on taxes filed in previous years (divorce, remarried, adoption, etc.), step-parents may also be required to complete an application. If you have questions regarding which parent completes the application, contact the counselor. 

What to bring to complete the FAFSA (not mandatory but may be needed):

• Tax paperwork filed two (2) years prior to the year of application

• Bank statements, real estate ownership/value

Have questions about the 2026-27 FAFSA Application: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/fafsa-support

Where do we apply? 

To complete the Financial Aid Application, the student and the parent/guardian(s) will need to create their own FSA ID. This ID will take 48-72 hours to verify your identity. Once that verification is complete, the applications can be started. The application will not be submitted until both the student completes and signs their portion and the parent(s)/guardian(s) complete their portion. 

STEP 1

Create an FSA ID

Once you click on the link you will go to Get Started

STEP 2

2026-2027 Financial Aid Application

Once you click on the link you will go to Start New Form

Non-Participation Form

Some families choose to complete the non-participation form. There are several reasons why this may apply; however, if a student is planning to enter a trade school after high school, they should still complete the application, if possible. Financial Aid will still apply to many trade school programs. 

Once this form is completed, choose the DOWNLOAD option and email a copy to the counselor for student records. 

Instructions

Illinois Student Assistance Commission Website

Once you are on the ISAC Website, the student will first be required to sign up for a Student Account. 

Go to "Login" (top right corner), then "Sign Up". Do not set this up with a Brimfield student email address, a parent email is acceptable.