Valley students can get free help this weekend filling out FAFSA financial aid forms

PHOENIX – Education Forward Arizona is offering a free FAFSA workshop this weekend to help students complete federal financial aid forms.

The workshop runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Capital One Café in Scottsdale Fashion Square.

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the form that determines if a college student is eligible for federal aid, loans and grants. A majority of colleges require FAFSA to be filled out yearly.

Jennifer Murphy with the Education Forward Arizona said the nonprofit advocacy group’s AI chatbot — Ask Benji — and staff will help students fill out financial and personal information correctly during Saturday’s event.

This will be Education Forward Arizona’s last FAFSA workshop for this year’s forms, she added.

Why is free FAFSA workshop important?

“We also try to promote it as an opportunity if students are having questions about next steps for their selected postsecondary pathway or they’re just starting to get cold feet or maybe they’re wondering how to read their financial aid award letters,” she said.

Murphy said filling out and submitting a FAFSA application not only makes postsecondary education more attainable, but it also provides a base for a future career, which benefits the individual and the state.

“We know that students who complete a FAFSA are 84% more likely to go on to enroll in college … and that’s huge for our students and for Arizona as a whole,” she said.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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