App makes it easier to apply for college financial aid
With nearly 150 colleges and universities in North Carolina, there are a lot of students in need of financial aid, and the process of applying for aid just got easier.
Applying for aid involves an online form called FAFSA, which is short for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form determines if a student is eligible for federal aid and how much they may receive.
The form is now available on an app entitled, MyStudentAid. Students can use the app to fill out the form on their phone or tablet.
The app features tools such as help boxes, a data retrieval tool for tax information and save features that let families work on it as time allows. The tools are supposed to make the form more "user-friendly" than ever.
The introduction of the app can take stress away from students who are attempting to balance applying for and paying for college.
"I'm applying for seven colleges," said high school student Ariel Moss. "State schools."
Moss and her mother Donna are using the app to apply for financial aid.
"Need money for college?" said Donna Moss. "Yes, I do."
Some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis, so the sooner you fill it out the better.
And Consumer Reports says families concerned that they make too much money to qualify should still apply.
"It depends on a lot of things," said Consumer Reports Money Editor Donna Rosato. "It could be your family situation, if you'd had a medical issue, a job loss, that all affects your financial situation so you never know until you fill out the FAFSA how much you might get."
Only 61 percent of high schoolers file a FAFSA.
According to the National College Access Network, that leaves $24 billion in federal aid unclaimed. That is one more reason to apply.
