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​​​​​​School Counselor T​oolkit

What is​​ it?

The White House and the Un​​ited States Department of Education have called for a Week of Action to bring attention to the importance of FAFSA completion for students interested in postsecondary education after high school.

The Iss​​​ue.

Nationally, FAFSA completion ra​​tes are much lower than this time last year. In Pennsylvania, 33% of high school seniors have completed the FAFSA. This year has been an anomaly in many ways, and the continued FAFSA delays and errors related to the FAFSA simplification process have compounded the stress and anxiety connected to this process for many of the participants, especially students, parents/guardians/caregivers, as well as the professionals supporting them in high school and in financial aid offices. Students are reportedly committing to universities without receiving aid packages, which likely will not be reimbursed should they not be able to afford the university upon receiving them. Some students who utilized the CSS Profile might feel more confident about the estimated packages being provided. Still others have not started the FAFSA and may not have applied to a postsecondary education institution.

What can you d​​o?

Participate in​​ this Week of Ac​tion by:

  • Sending parent communications related to Financial Aid resources, reminders to complete the FAFSA, and resources that might be helpful, including in-person and virtual FAFSA completion events.
  • Establishing a Remote Access Agreement with PHEAA,
  • Sharing these morning announcements,
  • Posting the graphics to your internal and external platforms, and
  • Connecting students to those who can assist them in completing the FAFSA: your PHEAA Access Partner, university financial aid offices, Trio programs, CBOs and others.

Sam​ple Morning Announcements

Monday: Class of 20​​24, today we want to talk about the FAFSA-the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Did you know that in addition to four-year colleges, trade, and technical schools as well as community colleges will accept federal financial aid? If you aren’t sure if the schools you are considering do, you should be able to find this information on their website. If you have a postsecondary plan that includes continuing your education after high school, you should consider completing the FAFSA asap. Resources are available in the counseling office and on our [insert communication hub here].

Tuesd​​ay: Our Focus on FAFSA continues with some updates for those who have completed the FAFSA: corrections can start to be made this week. If you shared your FAFSA information with colleges, they are now receiving this information and are working to get award offers out on their end.

Wednesday: The Pennsylvania State Grant deadline is May 1. As long as you complete your FAFSA by that date, you can then com​​plete the state grant process as soon as the application is available. Check out Pheaa.org for more information.

Thursday: Have​​ you completed the FAFSA and have questions? Get answers from your postsecondary institution’s financial aid office, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency or PHEAA, and Federal Student Aid. Asking for help is something we all do! Be sure to ask!

Friday: As the FAFS​A Week of Action draws to a close, our commitment to supporting you in reaching your postsecondary goals remains. Please use school and web resources and reach out when you have questions or need additional support. Keep track of enrollment deadlines by contacting your institution or using NACAC’s Enrollment Deadline Directory 2024. Enrollment Deadlines Directory 2024 - National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)​

Resource​s

For School Co​​​unselors

For Students and Parents/Caregivers

Grap​​hics