ALBANY- A proposed law that would require high school seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) could soon be coming to New York after Governor Kathy Hochul included the requirement in her Executive Budget Proposal. The inclusion of the change in the Executive Budget brings the proposal one step closer to becoming law.
Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson (D, Newburgh) carries stand-along legislation very similar to the language included in the governor’s proposal that requires all high school seniors to complete a FAFSA application. Jacobson explained the significance of the change and how it could make college more affordable for students.
“The biggest obstacle for people going to college is the cost. And the way to get the cost down is to get scholarships and grants,” Jacobson said. “Unfortunately, you have to complete the FAFSA to get this financial aid, and that’s very difficult to do.”
The new rule would ensure that each high school senior in the state completes the FAFSA or signs a waiver. Colleges and universities require students to complete the FAFSA to be considered eligible for financial aid, and a recent analysis from the National College Attainment Network found that the high school class of 2022 lost out on nearly $3.6 billion in grants because they didn’t complete the FAFSA.
“Education can be the great equalizer, but only if it’s accessible and affordable,” said Jacobson. “By requiring and assisting high school students to complete the FAFSA, we are fulfilling our obligation to expand opportunity to all by making college more affordable, and therefore available to all.”
The final state budget is due by April 1st and the State Assembly and Senate are set to release their one-house budget proposals in the coming weeks.
Mid-Hudson News spoke with several recent high school graduates who started the FAFSA process but became frustrated and failed to complete the lengthy process. Megan Giordano began gathering the basic information required by FAFSA three years ago, when she was a junior in high school. “I didn’t have much difficulty gathering the far-reaching family financial information required to begin the process. They certainly want a lot of information that some of my friends in broken homes weren’t able to gather,” Giordano explained. “Some of the smartest kids in my graduating class were in single-parent homes – the tax information alone created obstacles that not only frustrated them but also sparked a range of emotions when thinking about their non-traditional family lives. I don’t think this process is as fair as they want everyone to believe.”
To begin the FAFSA application, applicants need the following, before proceeding:
This checklist will prepare you to fill out the FAFSA
If you are a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and dependent student:
- Your Social Security card.
- If you’re not a US citizen, your Permanent Alien Registration Number
- Your driver’s license (if you have one).
- Your most recent W-2 forms.
- Your most recent federal and state income tax return and all schedules.
- Your most recent untaxed income records (child support for any of student’s children, interest income, Veterans non-education benefits, workers’ compensation benefits, other money received or paid on your behalf).
- Your current bank statements.
- Your FSA ID.
- Your email address.
- Social Security Number for both parents, if applicable.
- Birthdate of each parent.
- Federal and state income tax returns and all schedules for both parents.
- If applicable, the date of divorce or separation (month/year) of the applicant’s parents.
- Your parents’ most recent W-2 forms.
- Bank statements for both parents.
- Untaxed income records (untaxed portion of pension benefits, untaxed payments to tax deferred pensions and retirement savings, untaxed portion of IRA distributions, workers’ compensation or disability benefits) of both parents.
- Your parents’ current business and investment records.
- Your parent’s FSA ID.
- Email address for each parent.
