Thanks to an executive action by President Obama, starting October 1 this year, graduating high school seniors will be able to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) three months earlier than in previous years.
Thanks to the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), students will now have more time to apply for state aid, too.
In a memo released last month, OSFA announced that the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) will be available starting October 1, just like the FAFSA, which students use to apply for federal sources of financial aid like the Pell Grant. In previous years, the FFAA was available starting December 1.
A completed FFAA is necessary to determine eligibility for Florida’s state financial aid programs, which collectively represent over $540 million in funding for students to use towards college expenses each year. Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship is one of several financial aid programs requiring the FFAA.
Thanks to these changes, students will be able to complete both forms at the same time, and earlier in the school year than ever before. According to OSFA’s memo, the change is aimed to “increase the chances that Florida students will complete both (FAFSA and FFAA) applications.”
Florida CAN thanks OSFA for making this change and simplifying the financial aid process for Florida students!
If you are interested in learning more about Florida’s state financial aid programs, visit OSFA’s website at http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org. OFSA’s memo on the FFAA’s changed start date can be found here.