Filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) sounds like the best deal in the world.
Honestly.
You as a parent spend just a little bit of time entering information into a clear, safe online form, and a kid you love magically gets put in line for free money to help pay for college.
Magically—in just minutes—your kid’s in line for nine separate federal student aid programs, over 600 state aid programs, and most of the college-based (institutional) aid available in the United States.
So why do some parents balk at filling out the FAFSA?
The biggest reason I hear from parents who aren’t filling out the FAFSA is, “We’re not gonna get anything anyway…”
Really?
Are you 100% sure about that?
Quick, read this article I’ve written on 7 Reasons to Fill Out the FAFSA Even If You’re Rich.
After you do, consider this very important reason that even the wealthiest families should be filling out the FAFSA:
Filling out the FAFSA protects your kid in the event of unforeseen family setbacks.
If your fortunes happen to suddenly turn for the worse, you’ll want your kid to be in the pipeline to receive help.
Filling out the FAFSA is the best way to provide this kind of protection.
Every year there are very wealthy families whose fortunes turn suddenly and unexpectedly for the worse. People lose businesses. They divorce, lose jobs, or suffer house fires. They may get devastating medical diagnoses. If this happens to you, you’ll want your college-age children to be in the financial aid system where they can walk into a college financial aid office and get the help they suddenly need.
Please, read my very informative article 7 Reasons to Fill Out the FAFSA Even If You’re Rich. This article contains a free, downloadable resource that will help your family get the most college money possible when you fill out the FAFSA each year, starting October 1st of your child’s senior year of high school.
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Remember, getting maximum government aid for college is only a small part of the picture when it comes to getting your kid through college debt-free.
For clear, step-by-step help with the whole debt-free college process from beginning to end, get your copy of my book:
It’s a reference book, so nobody reads the whole thing cover to cover. Pick out what you need to read in it using the fast-paced, 10-minute video instructions here.
You can see hundreds of reviews of it on Amazon at:
(Tell your friends.)
You can see why financial advising professionals love LAUNCH, here.
You can see the top 9 questions parents are asking me about LAUNCH, here.
Read just one chapter of LAUNCH every 1–3 months while your child’s in middle school and high school, and you’ll know every viable strategy for debt-free college at exactly the right time to implement it.
And if your child’s already well past middle school? That’s OK; you can run to catch up. But the process of getting your kids through college debt-free goes more smoothly the earlier you start it—especially if you’re not planning to save up any money to pay for college.
Take a step on this right now. Get regular, inspiring help from me—every Monday morning.
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Do you have specific questions for me about debt-free college and career for your kids?
What about you? What, besides money, motivates you to fill out the FAFSA form?
Comment below or LIKE Jeannie Burlowski Author on Facebook, find this post on that page, and let’s talk about it there.
Who is Jeannie Burlowski?
Jeannie is a full-time academic strategist, podcast host, and sought-after speaker for students ages 12–26 and their parents and grandparents. Her writing, speaking, and podcasting help parents set their kids up to graduate college debt-free and move directly into careers they excel at and love. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Huffington Post, USA Today, Parents Magazine, and US News and World Report, and on CBS News.
Jeannie also helps students apply to law, medical, business, and grad school at her website GetIntoMedSchool.com. You can follow her on Twitter @JBurlowski.
This article was most recently updated on September 24th, 2022.