Students take note
Significant changes are taking place with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FASFA, to help students and parents apply more easily for college financial aid.
Instead of waiting until the new year to file, families can now file the FAFSA beginning on Oct. 1, 2016. In addition, students and parents will file using an earlier year’s tax information and will no longer have to estimate their income information and then update it later.
These changes are permanent and are designed to make the FAFSA more convenient and ensure that students receive their financial aid in a timely manner. Often, students get their financial aid package too late in the decision-making process which can cause students to make rushed choices about which college to attend or they take on too much student debt.
I hope that these changes will help make applying for college easier for my constituents. Students and parents can find out more information by visiting the Finance Authority of Maine’s website (http://www.famemaine.com/education/audiences/k-12-higher-ed-professional/early-fafsa-coming-october-1-2016/).
Rep. Robert Saucier is in his second term in the Maine House and represents part of Presque Isle. He serves on the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee and the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. He is also House chair of the Maine Citizen Trade Policy Commission.
