Fewer people are filling out FAFSA applications
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Most people can't go to college without some kind of financial aid.
And you can't get most kinds of aid without taking a step a lot of people seem to be now neglecting
Slippery Rock University President Bill Berry said the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the "gateway to higher education." And now many do not have it because fewer are filling out the FAFSA application.
Students need to fill out the application to get aid, including grants they never have to pay back. But the problem actually starts in high school, when students need to first fill out the application to get aid as they start college.
"We're asking high school counselors and postsecondary admissions and financial aid administrators, as well as community-based organizations, to help us ensure that every student who is eligible to complete a FAFSA gets the assistance they need to do so," Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of Education Tanya Garcia said.