Have you ever wondered how you are going to be able to pay for college? According to www.in2013dollars.com the tuition of colleges has inflated by 6.10% per year from 1977 to 2024. This has made college tuition incredibly difficult to afford without outside help. So, many people look for scholarships or financial aid to help make it more affordable. Which is where FAFSA comes to the rescue to make the search for them easier. The Sterling is going to provide some information about what FAFSA is and how it can help you.

First and foremost, what is FAFSA?  FAFSA stands for the free application for federal student aid. It came from the Higher Education Act instated by President Lydon B. Johnson in 1965. It is a government-owned program that helps incoming college students and current ones find grants, scholarships and loans to pay for college.  About 120.8 billion dollars are distributed to qualifying students every year which can be life-changing for students who don’t have the money to afford tuition.

Now you would probably love to know how to access some of this money. Luckily the process is very simple. Every year on October 1st (or December 1st the 2025-2026 application which means it is already available!) the FAFSA form opens up online to be filled out. To start you will need to make an account and then you will get access to the form. Then you will supply some information like your ethnicity, social security and assets. The next step will require help from your guardian as you will need to send them a form to answer questions about tax information and income. This will determine how much financial help you can acquire. Once submitted the form will take 3 to 5 days to process. After which you will have access to many of FAFSA’s financial aid options. However, to get access to loans, loan entrance counseling will need to be completed. This educates about how to get a loan and the loan repayment process, asking questions throughout making sure you have retained the information. The counseling takes about 30 minutes to complete. After which you can inform up to 3 schools that you have completed it. To be able to take out loans to go towards your college education.

FAFSA is a very valuable resource when it comes to seeking a higher education. With it and other many methods of financial aid it can provide it is especially important for those who are considering how to afford the expensive cost of a college or university. Even if you don’t fall into that group saving money with the assistance of a grant or scholarship is never a bad thing to look into. So, make sure you complete the FAFSA form before July 30 when it closes for the 2025-2026 semester and look at what it has to offer at studentaid.gov.