Help Filling Out Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Form at GHS — Saturday, Oct. 7

The Free Application for Federal (and Washington State) Student Aid (FAFSA/WASFA) will open on Oct. 1. Garfield’s College & Career Center will have trained people on hand to help students fill out their FAFSA/WASFA forms Saturday, Oct. 7 from  1 – 5 PM in the GHS Library. All students interested in financial aid for college will need to complete these forms. The application period begins Oct. 1 this year.

Make Sure You Bring:

• Drivers License or State ID
• Income Information, including bank statements, W-2 pay stub and past tax return
• A parent or guardian, if you are 24 or younger
• A copy of your parents or guardians’ previous year’s tax return
• Additional financial information such as child support statements, TANF or welfare information, real estate, investments, family business or farm info.
• FOR THE FAFSA: Social Security or green card and one parent or guardian’s social security number

Contact Ms. Collins in the College and Career Center for more information: (206) 252-2444, rscollins@seattleschools.org. Or you may visit http://readysetgrad.org/educators/grad/cgw-students-families.

From last year’s eBark: If you don’t fill out the FAFSA, you could be missing out on a lot of federal student aid! Here are some common reasons students think they shouldn’t complete the FAFSA:

• “I (or my parents) make too much money, so I won’t qualify for aid”
• “Only students with good grades get financial aid”
• “The FAFSA is too hard to fill out”

If you think any of these statements apply to you, then you should read “Myths About Financial Aid.” The reality is, EVERYONE who’s getting ready to go to college or career school should fill out the FAFSA! More information and FAQs are available here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/fafsa-changes