The new Free Application for Student Aid, also known as FAFSA, application is live, and several nonprofits in Central Florida are offering free support for families navigating it for the first time.
Students must complete the form in order to qualify for federal, state and school financial aid programs for college. That includes grants, scholarships, work-study programs and loans.
Heart of Florida United Way and UpliftED are working virtually with Orange, Osceola and Seminole County students who have questions about the new application.
Come January, they’ll be at Title I schools, in the three districts, helping parents and students complete the form in person. At Title I schools, at least 40% of students come from low-income families.
UpliftED’s Daisy Franklin said they’ll be at Colonial and Evans High Schools first and expand out as needed after that.
“We'll be working closely with the college and career counselors who are really charged at the school with ensuring that students go through and complete the process,” said Franklin.
Kelly Astro with Heart of Florida United Way said they want to get the message out that the new form is the most user-friendly so far. And that students at Title I schools usually qualify for thousands of dollars a year in financial aid.
“If you're getting up to $7,000 a year in federal aid, that completely funds a two-year degree at Valencia or Seminole State, or any other of the state colleges across the state of Florida. And you know, it's a great start in terms of being able to cover the cost of a four-year institution,” said Astro.
She said last year alone, Florida students left $54 million dollars of financial aid on the table, that they could have qualified for, if they had simply filled out the form.
Watch this video to learn more about filling out a FAFSA form:
The Department of Education’s new FAFSA form went live in November, after months of beta testing. The paper form is also available for families.
The changes were mandated by the U.S. Congress to make the process go smoother.
According to StudentAid.Gov, where students fill out the form online, it’s recommended students allot about an hour to complete the application, although most will complete it in less than that time.
To complete a FAFSA students need: a username and password that they set up as part of the application, a parent or guardian’s name, date of birth, Social Security number, and email address, and income and asset information for a parent or guardian.
Here’s a list of additional resources from the Department of Education for parents, students and teachers:
- “Who’s the Parent on the FAFSA Form?” Wizard—A new, stand-alone tool to help students and families determine who will need to provide contributor information on the 2025–26 FAFSA form prior to starting the application.
- “Creating Your StudentAid.gov Account” Page—A new resource that explains what families and partners need to know about creating a StudentAid.gov account.
- Pro Tips for Completing the FAFSA Form—Updated tips for preparing to complete and submit the FAFSA form. This resource will also be linked from the StudentAid.gov Dashboard to promote easier access for students and their required contributor(s).
- Federal Student Aid Estimator—The tool provides an estimate of the 2025–26 Student Aid Index and Federal Pell Grant eligibility calculation.
- Federal Student Aid YouTube Channel: FAFSA Videos—Updated videos to help students and families understand the importance of the FAFSA form, who is a FAFSA contributor, and what happens after submitting the form.
- 2025–26 FAFSA Preview Presentation—The resource provides financial aid administrators, advisors, and counselors with reference tools for staff trainings and financial aid nights. The presentation deck contains screenshots which highlight changes to the online 2025–26 FAFSA form.
- 2025–26 FAFSA Prototype—The tool provides the financial aid community an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the FAFSA user experience.
There’s also a Financial Aid Toolkit for teachers and counselors helping kids fill out the form.
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