Every year, thousands of students across Oklahoma complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, in order to receive federal and state aid for college. According to the OU Daily, only about 35% of eligible 2022 high school graduates in Oklahoma completed the FAFSA. That means almost 65% of the state’s students are not receiving financial aid that they might otherwise qualify for.
In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) showed that students who finished the FAFSA, and were eligible for aid, received an average of $8,890 for the academic year. In 2023, the number was expected to be over $10,000. That’s a large sum of money you might be missing out on if you haven’t completed your FAFSA.
At UCanGo2.org and StartWithFAFSA.org, we want every eligible student to receive what they need to successfully complete the FAFSA and understand the types of financial assistance they may be eligible to receive for their college education. We have resources such as Finish the FAFSA in Five Steps, Items Needed to Complete the FAFSA, FAFSA Learning Modules, and more! We also offer several publications in Spanish.
When you have completed the FAFSA, you’ll want to make sure you know what to do next. One major step will be to watch for a financial aid offer from the college or career technology center to which you sent your FAFSA results. Review our PowerPoint on Understanding Your Financial Aid Offer in order to make sure you understand the aid you’re being offered and your deadlines to accept it.