Counseling Corner: Addison Trail Guidance Department provides assistance to help students and parents/guardians complete the FAFSA form

Starting on Oct. 1, students and parents/guardians can access the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for the 2018-19 school year. That form can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Seniors who plan to attend college in fall 2018 should complete the FAFSA with their parents/guardians as soon as possible after it’s available on Oct. 1 to ensure eligible monies are available. Grants through the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) are typically awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so students who submit their FAFSA right away will be first in line to receive that grant money, if they qualify. To receive loan money, colleges require students to submit the FAFSA form as well. After being accepted to colleges, students will receive letters from those schools with their financial aid packages. Depending on the school, those letters might not be distributed until spring.

The following documents are needed to complete the FAFSA:

  • Parent/guardian 2016 tax return and W-2
  • Student 2016 tax return and W-2 (if applicable)
  • Parent/guardian social security number (if available)
  • Student social security number
  • Names of colleges to which the student is applying

Below is an overview of the FAFSA process:

  1. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov, and click on “Start a New FAFSA.”
  2. Click on the FAFSA form for the 2018-19 school year.
  3. Complete the requested information, including financial information.
  4. Sign the application with your FSA ID (students and parents/guardians will need to create a FSA ID).
  5. Verify your information is correct.

The Addison Trail Guidance Department is here to assist you with this process. The department hosted a Financial Aid Night on Sept. 14, and two more workshops also will take place.

  1. Financial Aid Night: Starting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 28, the department will provide an overview of the FAFSA completion process. Participants will learn how to complete the application line by line.

  2. FAFSA 1:1 Assistance: Starting at 6 p.m. on Oct. 12, the department will offer individual assistance in English and Spanish to complete the FAFSA form.

* Students who are ineligible to apply for FAFSA funds are encouraged to see their counselor for alternate ways to help pay for college.

For questions or more information, contact the Addison Trail Guidance Department at 630-628-3318.