Make Ends Meet: Filling out FAFSA for 2025-26 seniors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, of last year was repeatedly advertised as shorter, simpler and a way to get more students eligible for financial aid dollars. It came with problems and that may not change much this year.

FAFSA generally opens Oct. 1 for the largest source of aid available for students. Students have not been able to apply on Oct. 1 for FAFSA since the Simplification Act to make the amount of aid your student is eligible for more transparent, predictable, and supposedly easier to apply for. Sometimes things just don’t go as planned.

Jennifer Finetti, Director of Outreach & Advocacy for ScholarshipOwl a personalized scholarship matching service and management tool, is pleading with students to get started with their college application and funding right now. Finetti also stresses to students to apply for FAFSA as soon as they can.

“All students should be working on finding an affordable path to college for themselves to avoid taking on debt,” said Finetti. “Apply for scholarships, not loans. Seniors have to start getting ready for college immediately.”

According to a recent survey by Scholarship Owl, 88% of the senior respondents they talked to had plans to go to college. However, when asked ‘Do you have enough money?,’ only 5% reported they had secured the funds. Ninety-five percent, an overwhelming majority, indicated they did not have the money.

“You do need to submit your FAFSA right to qualify for Federal Financial Aid,” stresses Finetti.

Your FAFSA application is your key to open the door to college grants, work-study funds, federal student loans, as well as certain state-based aid and some scholarships. There is a FAFSA warning once again.

“For students who are fearful about some of the challenges that were experienced last year, it may be happening again,” cautioned Finetti. “As you might recall last year, it didn’t open until the end of December, and this year they’re saying it won’t open until December again.”

Federal officials have promised a fully functional form on or before the start of December, but that puts students behind as they reach out for the largest source of aid available.

“You want to make sure you get it in regardless of what’s going on technically with that application,” explained Finetti.

Seniors have more homework than what the teacher has assigned when the day is done.

“Depending on where you want to go to school, if you’re a high school senior, you should already be working on your college applications,” said Finetti.

Among the students answering ScholarshipOwl’s recent “paying for college” survey for 2024-2025, they were not waiting for free money. The vast majority were willing to work and save for their college degree. Finetti believes that’s a good place to start.

“You also want to apply for scholarships,” said Finetti. “You want to start saving money. If you don’t have a job, you should get an after-school job and start saving money that way. A dream school is not one that is really elite and hard to get into. A dream school is one you can afford.”

Finetti stresses there are a number of steps that students can take to ease the financial burden of a higher education. It will take a little time and effort.

“One way to avoid taking on a significant amount of debt is by starting at a community college,” said Finetti “Your first two years can be really low cost.”

The amount you save during those two years may also give you the chance to earn some money toward your college expenses.

“If you do need to take on student debt, focus on taking federal student loans and not private student loans,” explained Finetti.

Fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. If you miss your college or state deadline, it’s still worth the effort of filling out the FAFSA and submitting it.

Some states and schools may still have funds to provide to late applicants, but the amount you receive is likely to be lower than it would have been if you’d applied before the final deadline. There may also be other financial assistance available.

The advice simply put: fill out the FAFSA.

The Federal Student Aid Estimator (This Is Not the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Form) is a tool that students can use to find out how much federal student aid they may be eligible for the 2025-26 award year. ScholarshipOwl is a platform that connects students to the right scholarships that enable them to graduate debt-free.