Students and Parents/Guardians of the Class of 2024, 

The state of New Hampshire has instituted a new requirement for students to graduate high school. For the Class of 2024 going forward, students will be required to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or sign a waiver opting out. For students opting to complete the FAFSA, the only information that must be submitted to the school in order to meet the NH Graduation Requirement is the student name and Confirmation Number from their filed FAFSA Confirmation Page.

The FAFSA: What it is and why it matters for YOU 

What is the FAFSA? 

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form to apply for federal financial aid for college and/or training, including grants, work-study, and loans. The FAFSA is also used by colleges, some trade/vocational schools, and scholarship programs to determine eligibility for aid such as scholarships.

It is FREE to complete and does not obligate the student or parent/guardian to anything.

Note: The FAFSA is one step in applying for financial aid. Some colleges require additional forms, too. 

Why is it relevant to me? 

Do you want to know all the options you have for how to fund your future? The ONLY way to know for sure if you qualify for any need- OR merit-based aid is to file a FAFSA. 

The FAFSA is how to figure out all the options available to you and learn more about them. It’s still your choice to select which options you want – or don’t want. 

Students in New Hampshire left $7.9 million in Pell Grants on the table by not completing the FAFSA in 2022 (NCAN).

If you don’t file a FAFSA, you DEFINITELY will not receive any financial aid – because you haven’t applied for it! 

Does the FAFSA obligate me to anything?

Not at all! Remember, it’s your choice if you use financial aid available to you. You don’t have to accept loans, grants, or scholarships. 

How do I fill it out? 

Access the FAFSA form: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out 

Resources to help along the way: 

· https://studentaid.gov/help/fafsa 

· https://www.nhheaf.org/financing/financial-aid-process 

I’m still thinking of opting out. What now? 

If you choose not to file the FAFSA, you may sign a waiver from the NH Department of Education indicating that you opt out from the requirement. The waiver may be signed by the student if they are 18 years old or older; otherwise, the parent/guardian signs. Your school’s counseling team and administrators will provide more information about where to submit the waiver once you’ve signed. You can find the waiver here: https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/sonh/waiver-1.pdf

We plan on hosting a FAFSA completion night in conjunction with NH Higher Education Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF) in January of 2024.  If you have any questions, please reach out to the KRHS counseling team at (603)927-2313.

Thank you,

Becky Schrader, Nicole Tenney, and Kristine Turcotte

KRHS School Counselors

Attention Seniors: On December 7th you are expected to be submit your running annotated bibliography demonstrating the research you have conducted for your project to date. This is a bibliography in which students keep track of all research sources used throughout the project. For each source the student provides a short description and summary about how the source contributes to the learning within the project. Any website, book, person, or experience that you access for your project will need to be recorded. A template for an running annotated bibliography has been provided in the Senior Project Google Classroom. This can be done using MLA or APA styles guides. A final Bibliography will be submitted with the completion of your project. Check in with your Advisor and your Senior Project Google Classroom for more details and to access the template provided to all students.