By Emily Rachelle Russell | Echo
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education's 2018 Cash for College campaign encourages high school and college students to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before the April 15 deadline.
This is the ninth year of the Cash for College campaign, one of three of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education runs. The campaign launched in December and is focused on educating high school and college students on available financial aid and how to access it, according to Indiana's Commissioner for Higher Education, Teresa Lubbers.
"We know that having students be financially able to go to college is absolutely necessary, so we were looking at ways that we could heighten people's awareness," Lubbers said. "In order for them to receive any financial aid at all, they need to complete the FAFSA."
Students who don't qualify for need-based aid may still qualify for merit-based or institutional aid, especially at a private university like Taylor, so Lubbers encourages all students to file every year. Current scholarship recipients may also have renewable scholarships, and filing the FAFSA is required to maintain that scholarship.
Southport High School in Indianapolis hosted a Cash for College event for their 21st Century Scholars juniors on Jan. 25. Erin Shimp, school counselor at Southport, urges all students to file the FAFSA, regardless of family income level. She points out the FAFSA opens doors to student loans, grants, government and federal aid. It also is often used by colleges and universities to determine annual financial aid packages.
"We'll have a lot students . . . say, 'Oh, well I know that my family won't qualify for anything, so we shouldn't do the FAFSA,'" Shimp said. "The FAFSA is important because no matter what your income level is, it's (going to) give you options to help pay for college, so it's really, really important to file it every year."
Matthew Klingstedt, a financial aid counselor at Taylor, specifies that filing the FAFSA does not mean a student will definitely receive aid, but any student who may qualify for aid must complete the form to access that money. Filing is especially important for any student who has received aid in the past or who has recently had a change in their family situation.
Though some scholarships require the priority deadline of Feb. 15, Taylor's general FAFSA deadline is the same as the state deadline: April 15. File the FAFSA by visiting www.fafsa.ed.gov.
