News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Students hoping to receive financial aid for college must complete their FAFSA paperwork by May 15.
Livingston Academy College and Career Coordinator Teresa Johnson said the FAFSA is easier than ever this year. She said the form asks fewer questions and can be completed far more quickly by parents and students. Johnson said families who get stuck or have questions can always have their guidance counselor lend a hand.
“Without the FAFSA, you will not have access to any financial aid,” Johnson said. “State aid or federal aid. So, it’s a really easy process and I think students that have completed in the past will agree that the form is a lot faster and easier to complete.”
Johnson said when the deadline passes, students who have not completed the form with their parents will lose their Tennessee Promise eligibility.
She said like with any change, the new form has come with some hangups. She said parents must now receive a separate invitation to the form and fill out their own questions. She said anyone running into roadblocks can schedule a time to come into their child’s school and have a staffer guide them through the process.
“Same login information, but the student has to complete their part first and then invite a parent to complete the parent part,” Johnson said. “And the student has to make sure they have their parent’s information.”
She said to send the invitation to a parent, students must fill out the parent’s phone number, social security number, email address, and date of birth. She said many students do not have this information readily available when filling out the form, so there has been a bit of a learning curve.
“Parents work, so they’re not available a lot during the day when the student needs to complete their part,” Johnson said. “So, we have tried to make accommodations for the parents to come in in the afternoons after their work hours to help complete the form, but if the student has trouble getting ahold of their parent during the day, that can be a hangup.”
She said those who have completed the form before, though it has changed, may be able to log in and fill it out without any issue. She said the best way, however, is to contact their guidance counselor and schedule a time to sit down with their parent and knock it out.
