Starting January 1^st, students looking to take part of higher education could have started filling out their FAFSA. FAFSA, which stands for Free Application for Student Federal Aid, is something that helps college students with their finances throughout school. According to the website, they “offer more than $150 billion each year to help millions of students pay for education.”

During the process of filling out the application, which is more than encouraged to be done with a parent or guardian, FAFSA offers free assistance to answer questions. It supplies money for more than 13 million students a year through federal grants, loans and work-study funds. The application for FAFSA must be done every year throughout one’s education.

Eligibility for basic student aid includes having a high school degree, and acceptance to a school. Male students also must have registered for selective service, have a valid social security number and a written statement that they will only use the aid for school purposes. Students also must be not in default for a loan, and must maintain grades that are good enough for the aid. They must also be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national, have a green card, have their arrival and departure dates, have immigrant status or have a T-Visa. Besides the basic eligibility, some students qualify for more aid if a parent was killed in Iraq or Afghanistan or are non-U.S. citizens.  All links that further explain the criteria can be found here.

“I think that FAFSA is a good thing,” said Austin Toon, 12^th grade. “It helps out students who want to attend college pay for it, and it’s always a good thing to help students out.”

The general deadline for submitting FAFSA online is June 30^th, 2017, and corrections must be submitted by September 23^rd, 2017. But the state of Florida has its own deadline, which is May 15^th, 2016. Applications can also be picked up in the front office.