FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form completed by current and prospective college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. The FAFSA is different from the CSS Profile which is also required by some colleges. Keep an eye on email for CSS alerts. Colleges and career schools use the FAFSA form to determine how much financial aid you're eligible to receive, which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans. You must apply for aid every year, but with the right information in hand, it's easy.
Who should complete the FAFSA Form?? Any student, regardless of income, who wants to be considered for federal, state, and school financial aid programs. This includes grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans.
The FAFSA opens up October 1, 2025 for the 25/26 school year and will use 2024 taxes. Both students and parents will need to create a FSA ID to represent their respective signatures. The actual FAFSA application should be created in the student’s name, social security number and birth date. We recommend completing the FAFSA by February 1, 2025 in order to receive a “Statement of Cost” from each University in a timely manner.
Even if a family doesn’t expect to be eligible for government financial aid; colleges will require a completed FAFSA to be eligible for financial aid, merit scholarships and grants.
Scholarships
Students can search scholarships on the Internet. Many are sponsored by large companies and have deadlines between December 2025 and June 2026. Helpful Sites include: Going Merry, Fastweb, Scholarships.com, Chegg and College Board
Students can search for Scholarships in SchooLinks. Local scholarships will be posted beginning in January 2026, but national scholarships can also be found!
Students can search “Scholarship Universe” on their own university website once they’ve selected a school.
Students can talk with their colleges Financial Aid office to find out which scholarships and grants may be available.