60 minutes · Seniors and their parents or guardians, in the evening or on a weekend.
Families learn why the FAFSA is worth filing, set up their FSA IDs and finish the form with help in the room, then leave knowing the state and college deadlines.
Goals
Every family leaves with the student and each parent's FSA ID created.
Families understand that the FAFSA also opens state and college aid, not only loans.
Each family knows which deadlines matter for their state and the colleges on the student's list.
Before you start
Computers or tablets for families who didn't bring a device, with internet and a printer if possible.
Ask families to bring: Social Security numbers where they have them, last year's tax information, records of untaxed income and a list of colleges. Email the list a week ahead.
Read the current instructions on studentaid.gov the day before so you are not working from last year's rules.
If you expect families who speak other languages, ask for interpreters in advance.
Print the FAFSA and state aid checklist from the counselor section.
Agenda (60 minutes)
Welcome and why file · 10 min
Explain what the FAFSA is and the three things it opens: federal grants and loans, state aid and college aid.
Answer the most common worry first: families with a higher income should still file, because many merit awards and loans ask for it.
FSA IDs · 15 min
Have the student and each parent create an FSA ID now. Verification can take a day or two, so families who start tonight can finish the form later in the week.
Remind everyone that each contributor must consent to the IRS sharing their federal tax information.
Walk through the form · 20 min
Go section by section on a projected screen: the student, then each contributor, then the colleges.
Pause for questions at the points that trip people up, such as who counts as a parent and what to do when parents live apart.
Families with a finished FSA ID start filling out the form while you circulate.
State aid and college deadlines · 10 min
Show the state aid programs for your state on the FAFSA and state aid page, and name the deadline for each.
Explain that some states and colleges award aid first come, first served, so early filing matters.
Next steps and questions · 5 min
Hand out the checklist with what to do after filing: watch email for requests from colleges, compare aid offers and meet any verification requests.
Tell families how to reach you for follow-up help.
Points to make
The FAFSA is free. Websites that charge to file it are not the official one.
Filing is about opening doors. Families can decide later which aid to accept.
A Student Aid Index (SAI) is not a bill. It is a number colleges use to work out need.
Undocumented students can't get federal aid but may qualify for state or college aid, and a parent without a Social Security number can still take part in the form.
After the session
Send a short email the next day with the checklist and the deadlines.
Hold open lab hours the following week for families who didn't finish.
Check in with seniors after aid offers arrive so they can compare them.