The FAFSA, or Free Application for Student Aid, opened Oct. 1. FAFSA can cover the cost of tuition, books, room and boarding, or other expenses for its applicants.

“There is a misconception that FAFSA is only for students who may qualify for federal grants,” Diane Close said. “In addition to grants and loans, FAFSA also qualifies students for work study opportunities while in college as well as some scholarships.”

Senior Amanda Branom plans to fill out the FAFSA. She has a list of 21 colleges she hopes to apply to.

“I have filled out numerous scholarship applications,” she said. “I currently have 10 scholarship applications open, including both corporate scholarships and scholarships geared towards specific demographics.”

For full-time undergraduate students, FAFSA will award an average of $12,740, the National Center for Education Statistics said. 

The first step of completing FAFSA is to “sign up for a FSA ID,” Close said. “Once you have a FSA ID, the student will enter personal and financial information.”

A student completing FAFSA will need their social security number and their parents’ federal income tax returns, W-2s and similar records. In some cases, students will need bank statements, records of investments, or records of untaxed income. 

“Colleges want to help all students but they need to know what fund to extract the money,” Close said. “FAFSA provides this information.”