Student Voice: Understanding FAFSA

Anisha Hannah recently spoke with students and parents about their perceptions of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process

As the number of high school students in Michigan who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form has been steadily decreasing, we wanted to better understand some of the obstacles or misinformation that might be causing this drop.

We recently met with students and parents to discuss their experiences with filling out the form, the issues that they encountered, and the misconceptions that they may have had about the process. Here are a few interesting excerpts.

FAFSA Perceptions

The Application Process

Understanding Grants

You can watch the full 30-minute session here.

Countering the trend in decreasing FAFSA completion is of particular interest to both our team and our community, especially as the federal government is revamping the process to make the FAFSA more simple to complete.

Additionally, lawmakers in Michigan are also considering making the completion of the FAFSA a requirement for high school graduation, so educating our families about the process is essential.

We want to make sure that every parent and student is ready to fill out the FAFSA beginning this January! We’re working with the Pontiac Promise Zone to hold workshops over the next few months, so check out their website to learn more.