Visit the FAFSA Workshops This Month
BY: BEATRICE JOHNSON
Guest Contributor
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the next several weeks, the Meramec Admissions and Financial Aid offices will host clinics to help students fill out their 2024-25 FAFSA forms in the Applied Sciences building in Room 102B and 102A.
Meaghan Karl, an admissions counselor, said a false start to the program already spelled bad news for the program’s attendance when email issues caused a lack of advertisement for the first three days of the event, and now, attendance is almost as dire.
“We get some people in our office throughout the day, but this is really the time that we want to help students complete their 2024-25 FAFSA,” they said. “If we can, we want to help people with the form while they’re on campus.”
Clinicians are knowledgeable and can help you fill out your 2024-25 FAFSA form or your 2023-24 FAFSA form, Karl said. The workshops are open to anyone who wants to drop in for any amount of time. The FAFSA Clinic is designed to help students on an individual basis, every step of the process, Karl said.
The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is a form completed annually by current and prospective college students to determine their eligibility for student financial aid.
The 2024-25 FAFSA was “soft launched” according to the official Federal Student Aid Twitter account on Jan. 1, 2024. Just like every year, the FAFSA this year has gone through some changes, including a shift from the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) system to the Student Aid Index (SAI), which according to Karl could impact the amount of money people receive.
“We have not been given information, at least that I know of yet, of how those numbers are going to help us determine the student loans people are able to receive,” Karl said.
An additional benefit of attending the clinic is that anyone who attends can enter their student ID number into a raffle for a $300 book scholarship provided by the school’s board of trustees, Karl said.
“This is just another reason that I wish we could get more people to attend the clinic because it might not seem like a lot, but it could really help a student,” said Karl.
Student Mohamed Saady worked with Karl on his 2024-25 FAFSA, and works on campus in the financial aid office. He said he felt comfortable asking any questions he needed and that they would be able to assist with just about anything.
“There isn’t a question they wouldn’t be able to answer,” said Saady. Overall, Saady said he had a positive experience and would recommend the clinic to anyone who might need help filling out their FAFSA form.
