In this episode of TUN TV, Dr. Crystal Rose interviews Erica Martinez from College Beyond, an organization that helps students enroll and succeed in college, about why students need to complete the FAFSA and what happens when students cannot complete the FAFSA.
Dr. Crystal Rose: Welcome to The University Network TV, where we scan the globe to give students, their families and educators the very best tips for student success. I’m your host today, Dr. Crystal Rose. And in this college success navigation series, we have advice for students entitled, “Completing Your FAFSA Form.”
We’re exploring this with a college success coach from College Beyond, Erica Martinez. She’ll share insights to help you successfully navigate college today.
Welcome, Erica.
Erica Martinez: Thank you. Thanks for having me. I’m excited to talk about the FAFSA.
Dr. Crystal Rose: Why is completing the FAFSA form so important and necessary?
Erica Martinez: There are two reasons I want to highlight.
One reason is that this qualifies you for federal aid. So, that could be the Pell Grant, some or all of the Pell Grant. And it also qualifies you for student loans, if you need to take out student loans to help fund your education.
Also, universities and colleges use the FAFSA information for them to determine if there’s other scholarships that you qualify for.
So, even if you’re not planning to take out any student loans, it’s still a good idea to fill this form so that your university knows that you’re interested in scholarships and aid because then they can see that you show up on their radar. And when they have extra money and want to support students, that money gets distributed to the student. So, it’s very important to do.
Even if you’re unsure if you’re going to take out student loans, you want to double-check and make sure that you give yourself the opportunity to qualify for grants as well.
Dr. Crystal Rose: In the event that a student is not able to complete the FAFSA form, what happens then?
Erica Martinez: Sometimes there are reasons that the form can’t be completed. Sometimes, it’s because there’s information missing from the IRS Retrieval Tool, or maybe the IRS Retrieval Tool didn’t work properly, or the information doesn’t match.
If that’s the case, at the end of the form, there’s an option to print it out and mail it in the old-fashioned, snail-mail way. So, that is one way that you can submit your form.
And you can also call the Helpline on the FAFSA website to check that they received it. So, they’re still able to collect and receive your FAFSA in paper form.
That is definitely an option. If you do that, be sure that you’re signing your signature by hand.
Dr. Crystal Rose: Thank you so much, Erica, for this.
Erica Martinez: Thank you.
Dr. Crystal Rose: And to our audience, thank you very much for joining us.
Hopefully with this segment, you’ll have more confidence in completing your FAFSA form within record time and on time. Here’s to your success. I’m your host, Dr. Crystal Rose. Until next time, on TUN TV.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
For more exclusive interviews with experts who share their insight to help students succeed, check TUN TV!
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