The FAFSA aims to determine how much need-based and non-need-based aid a student qualifies for. Many families in Glen Rock believe their income is too high for any aid. Although the application is geared towards low-income families, the application is free and anyone can fill it out.

The Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) is opening on Dec. 31 and there are some major changes to the application. The changes include the application’s opening date, a new scale to determine aid, Pell Grant qualifications, a required FSA ID, consent for tax data transfers, and a list of up to 20 schools.

There is a new formula to determine the amount of aid: Cost of Attendance (COA) – Student Aid Index (SAI) – Other Financial Assistance (OFA) = Financial need. This is taking the place of the Expected Family Contribution metric. There are many logistics to this, but essentially, there are fewer questions.

Glen Rock High School held an info session on Dec. 3. The slideshow and recording can be found on Ms. Giurlando’s weekly update from Dec. 8.

For people filling out the FAFSA, other items to note are that the applications will ask for 2022 information for income and all contributors need an FSA ID. Keep these things in mind when filling out your free application.