College and Future Planning - FAFSA

Hello and Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! I am Julie McNamara and I am beginning my 17th year at Gross. This is my 9th year as the junior/senior counselor and I am looking forward to working with your senior this year! This newsletter is designed to provide helpful information as you walk through this school year with your senior! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

402-734-2000 ext 112

jmcnamara@gcgmail.org

• FAFSA means Free Application for Federals Student Aid
• A free government form ALL STUDENTS SHOULD COMPLETE
• All federal aid is based on the FAFSA
• Some scholarships require that a student have a FAFSA on file

• The form for students planning to begin college in the fall of 2026 is the 2026 - 2027 form.
• Application opens October 1
• We recommend completing the FAFSA ASAP
• You must complete this each year your student is in college

THE SOONER YOU COMPLETE IT THE BETTER! Why?

• Once completed, you get access to the amount of financial aid a college will give you
• Each college has "priority" completion and admission dates; you will need the FAFSA to be complete to move your application along

• To be eligible for federal aid
• To be considered for some scholarships
• To be eligible for federal work study at the college

Gather your documentation

• See the FAFSA 2026-2027 checklist at EducationQuest This checklist will help you gather all the financial information you need to complete the FAFSA.
• All those who will be contributors on the FAFSA - students and adults - need their own FSA ID.
• The student should create their FSA ID first. This can be done anytime - the sooner, the better - even before October 1st. FSA IDs will be verified at the time of creation. Only those with a verified FSA ID can continue the process of filling out the FAFSA.
• Email addresses. The student should use an email that is NOT their Gross email, since students will need to complete the FAFSA every year of college.
• List of schools you want to send your FAFSA to.

Apply at FAFSA.

• Use the student's FSA ID to begin the actual application because the student is the one applying for aid.
  
• Keep all your FSA ID information in a safe place
• Complete the application carefully and thoroughly
• You do not have to complete the FAFSA in one sitting. If you use a save key, you can come back and complete the FAFSA at another time.
• Application can be saved for up to 45 days.
• Submit when finished

• Government processing takes 3 - 5 days
• Students will receive email when their FSS (FAFSA Submission Summary) is ready. This was formerly known as the SAR (Student Aid Report).
• The FSS should contain the SAI (Student Aid Index). This was formerly known as the EFC (expected Family Contribution).
• SAI is the amount the government believes the family can spend on the student's education (often times this number is higher than a family would like)
• SAI determines the financial aid package colleges will offer
• SAI may determine eligibility for need-based scholarships
• Students should check the portals of the schools they listed on the FAFSA to see their status
• Look at school portals to see if you have been randomly selected for Verification (you may see an * next to your SAI if you have been selected)
• Verification steps must be completed for the student to receive their financial aid package. These steps are completed through the school's student portal.
• You may be selected for verification multiple years, so remember to check for this each year of college

Say yes to the work study question on the FAFSA

• You can always decline a work study position later, but if you say "no" on the application that you will not consider it, then you may miss out on a good opportunity

If you realized you made a mistake on the application but already submitted it:

• Wait until the application has been processed.
• Log back into FAFSA and make your corrections

If you are selected for verification:

• Usually this means the school is asking for copies of documentation you used to fill out your FAFSA. Each school portal will have instructions for you to follow.

If you need help filling out the FAFSA:

• Call EducationQuest at 402-391-4033 to get help on the phone or make an appointment for in-person help.

If you have special financial circumstances that have not been addressed:

• Reach out to the college financial aid office to begin an appeal.
• Appeals can be made for circumstances not addressed in the application process (damage to property from a natural disaster, significant illness or injury, job loss, or other financial hardship that occurred outside the documented tax year)
• Appeals and acceptable circumstances differ with each college financial aid office

Share your SAI with Mrs. McNamara or Mrs. Kalamaja

• This may help the counseling office direct students towards scholarship opportunities