As if the process of applying to college isn’t intimidating enough, throw in a financial aid application and it’s enough to discourage even the most dedicated students. To make matters worse, each year, millions of financial aid dollars go unclaimed because students just do not apply! Enter the new chatbot created by the Benefits Data…
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It’s a unique time in our country’s history and all Americans are challenged. High school students, especially seniors, as well as adult learners returning to school, are in an especially unique situation these days – navigating the waters of upcoming college admissions, testing, financial aid, all while schools have restricted access. What happens now? Have…
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The notoriously complicated Free Application for Federal Student Aid will soon be getting a facelift, thanks to new legislation signed into law Thursday. The bipartisan FUTURE Act will cut the number of FAFSA questions by approximately 20% and will allow for better, more accurate data sharing between the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of…
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Legislation that would simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is on the way to President Trump for signature, according to the National College Access Network. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the FUTURE Act (H.B. 5363), which if enacted would reduce the number of questions on the FAFSA by 20%. The…
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A “First Look” data dashboard revealing the number of Florida high school seniors who have completed the FAFSA since October 1, 2019 (when the 2020-21 FAFSA opened) is now available. The dashboard, published by the Florida College Access Network, provides the ability to filter by school, city and county. In addition to the current year’s…
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Public high schools around the Tampa Bay area are invited to participate once again in a competition to increase completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) It’s all part of a statewide effort called the Florida FAFSA Challenge, which aims to boost the number of Florida students completing the federal financial aid application by 5…
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The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Tampa Bay Chapter will recognize Anne Eason, Ph.D., a Tampa psychologist, advocate for education and volunteer with LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network, as the Gayle Sierens Volunteer of the Year at its annual National Philanthropy Day® (NPD) breakfast on Nov. 15 in Tampa. Over the past seven years,…
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It’s officially FAFSA season! The 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available starting today (Oct. 1). Filing a FAFSA is the first step to taking advantage of financial aid opportunities that are available to your family. Ready to get started? Below, we break down some of the basics you need to know before…
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Each year, more than half of the students who would qualify for free federal aid for their education do not complete the required application to receive the funding. Recent research shows that in Florida more than 40,000 students who would have been eligible to receive an average of almost $4,000 in Pell Grants didn’t receive…
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The maximum award for Federal Pell Grants has increased to $6,195 for the upcoming academic year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The new maximum award amount represents a slight increase from 2018-2019’s maximum of $6,095. Federal Pell Grants are a type of college financial aid awarded to students who have great financial need. Unlike…
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