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October 11, 2016

FAFSA Frenzy provides free help with student financial aid application
Assistance will be offered at more than 100 events in Missouri

Students and their families can receive free help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at more than 100 FAFSA Frenzy events this year. Events will be held October through January at locations across the state.

Filing a FAFSA is often the first step students must take to apply for financial aid for college. Financial aid professionals, high school counselors and other volunteers provide free assistance and answer questions during the events.

“FAFSA Frenzy is designed to assist families with an important part of the college-planning process,” said Zora Mulligan, Missouri commissioner of higher education. “Students should file a FAFSA as early as possible to find out about financial aid available to help them pay for higher education.”

FAFSA Frenzy is being held three months earlier this year in response to the new Oct. 1 start date for filing a FAFSA. Another major change in the FAFSA this year calls for students and families to provide income information from a year earlier than was previously required. For example, the 2017-18 FAFSA will ask for 2015 information.

The change in required income information means that families will no longer have to wait until they file their taxes for the current year in order to complete the FAFSA or use estimated tax information that they later have to update.

Students can receive assistance with the financial aid application at any public FAFSA Frenzy event, no matter where they live, attend school or plan to attend college. The events – held at high schools, college campuses and community facilities – are open to all students, including high school seniors, current college students and adults interested in attending college.

A list of public FAFSA Frenzy site can be viewed at http://dhe.mo.gov/ppc/ffsites.php.

In addition to the public FAFSA Frenzy events, dozens of Missouri high schools host private FAFSA Frenzy events to assist their students.

Students must fill out a FAFSA every year to be eligible for most types of federal and state aid, including grants, scholarships and loans, as well as financial assistance offered by colleges and universities.

FAFSA Frenzy participants should bring:

  • 2015 W-2 forms.
  • Copies of their 2015 tax forms.
  • Student and parent FSA IDs. Students and parents should apply for separate FSA ID user names and passwords at https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm before attending a FAFSA Frenzy event. 

FAFSA Frenzy is sponsored annually by the Missouri Department of Higher Education, in partnership with the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel, the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority and the National College Access Network.

Volunteers have assisted more than 17,000 Missouri students since FAFSA completion events began in 2004.

For more information about the FAFSA Frenzy program, visit dhe.mo.gov/ppc/fafsafrenzyforstudents.php.