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What is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)?


If you are a college student or you are getting ready to be a college student, then you will want to be very familiar with the FAFSA. You are probably well aware of the rising costs of college. It's not easy to pay for college these days, but there are still steps that you can take to help relieve some of this burden and make it easier to pay for college.

One of the tools in your toolbox should be the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA. The FAFSA is a form from the Department of Education that you fill out to apply for federal student aid, which can help pay for college through a mixture of grants, low-interest student loans and work-study that make it easier for students to attend college and finance their education.

Though the FAFSA can be useful, it can also be confusing, especially for people who have never gone through the process before. We're going to give you some helpful information about the FAFSA so that you can use this great tool to your advantage.

Aid That FAFSA Provides
One of the great things about the FAFSA is that it is able to provide aid to students in a variety of different ways. Since the FAFSA is able to help in more ways than one, it is almost always beneficial for incoming college students to at least try to fill out the FAFSA to see what aid is available to them, especially if they are having trouble making a plan for paying for their schooling.

Low-Interest Loans
The first way that the FAFSA can provide aid to students is through providing low-interest loans. Student loans are not hard to obtain, but they can be very hard to pay back. With access to low-interest funding for education, you can ensure that the rest of your life doesn't have to be filled with debt and regret.

Grants
Another way that the FAFSA is able to help students is by determining eligibility for various grants that are made available for students who are in need. The beauty of grants is that, unlike loans, they do not need to be repaid.

Work-Study
The FAFSA also gives students with need access to work-study. With work-study, they are eligible for part-time work which is typically on campus and which provides wages that help students pay for college.

How to Fill Out the FAFSA
Filling out the FAFSA is very easy and painless. To fill out the FAFSA and see what aid you are eligible to, you only need to fill out the online form to get started.

Is the FAFSA Free?
Since you are already stressing about coming up with enough money to pay for your education, you might be concerned about potential costs for the FAFSA. We are happy to report that filling out the FAFSA is a completely free process. Be cautious about any service that charges you to complete the application form.