FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Traditionally, the FAFSA opens each year on October 1st and tells students and their families how much federal financial aid (grants and loans) a student is eligible for based on family income alone. The FAFSA cannot be completed until October 1st of senior year. It is the one thing in your college-readiness journey that you cannot get an early jump on.  

What is the FAFSA? 

FAFSA is a multi-step process that involves both the student and a contributor. FAFSA is completed each year a student is enrolled in college, starting with senior year. 

Steps include:

• Contributor AND student each making their own, unique FSA ID 
• Student completing & submitting student side of the FAFSA
  • Be sure to include every school you are applying to. Schools that do not receive your FAFSA will not be able to give you a financial aid package.
• Contributor completing & submitting contributor side of the FAFSA 
• After all parts of FAFSA are submitted, check your email AND your FAFSA.gov account to make sure no other additional paperwork is needed.
  • The FAFSA needs to be marked as PROCESSED in order to be considered complete and for your colleges to receive it 

Most trade schools, technical schools, and colleges will require a FAFSA on file before awarding any additional financial aid, and schools do have financial aid priority deadlines. Because of this, students are strongly encouraged to complete the FAFSA in October of their senior year, even if they are not sure of their postsecondary plans.

Completing FAFSA early (between October and December of senior year) can help increase your chance of receiving financial aid from your future institution. The earlier you complete FAFSA, the more financial aid you may be eligible for. 

There is no penalty for filing the FAFSA and choosing not to pursue secondary education or training. A completed FAFSA can only help. 

Even if you know you are not eligible for federal funding, it is still advantageous to fill out the FAFSA. Schools could decide to offer you more aid if they see you completed FAFSA and were not deemed eligible for any federal need-based aid. 

FAFSA Support

Seniors and their families can receive free FAFSA support at their high school through the Educational Opportunity Center with Educational Partners, Inc. See your high school's College & Career Counselor to schedule an appointment during the school day. For support after the school year ends or after school hours, please contact:

Dr. Terrace Brown   
Preferred method of contact: Text or call. (If email is preferred, please email from a personal email account.)
Phone Number: 321-217-3442 
Email: terracebrown@mac.com & terracebrown@me.com
Serving the following schools: Celebration High School, Gateway High School, Liberty High School, Osceola County School For The Arts, Osceola Virtual School, Poinciana High School