News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
FAFSA application process is now open to prospective college students.
The program provides need-based financial aid to those who apply and meet qualifications. Jackson County High School Gear Up Coordinator Gary Flynn said that the process can sometimes be daunting for applicants, but the key is coming prepared.
“Take your income tax, any kind of bank statements that you might have,” Flynn said. “And people don’t want to give that personal information, but all that information’s got to go on there na dtha determines your eligibility whether the federal government is going to give you money or not. So you’ve just got to be prepared.”
Flynn said one tool that makes the process easier is the IRS tool in the FAFSA application. He said that by linking information through the IRS, it can take care of 100 questions that the individual would have otherwise had to fill out manually.
Flynn said that while not all students will be eligible for funding, it’s an easy way to potentially knock down the cost of tuition for higher education.
“It’s not an easy process but it’s not as hard as it looks like when you take that first look,” Flynn said. “You’re like ‘Oh no, can I do this?’ I get that all the time, especially from parents. The kids are generally pretty savvy with the computers, but some of the parents like myself are not the best with them and they get intimidated. Just don’t get intimidated it’s doable.”
