FAFSA Information for Seniors
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form that needs to be completed to access financial aid for postsecondary education. It can be a helpful source of grants and loans and is mandatory if you want a financial aid package from most colleges.
The Illinois State Board of Education mandates that RB does as much as possible to ensure that guardians and students do one of the following:
1. Complete the 2024-25 FAFSA. If you need help doing so, please let your RB counselor know.
2. Fill out the attached "FAFSA Nonparticipation Form" and return it to your RB counselor by email or by dropping it off in Student Services.
If you think you have completed the FAFSA and that our records are incorrect, please let your RB counselor know.
Changes to this year's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) have created some challenges and difficulties related to the traditional timeline for financial aid and the ensuing commitment to a college or university.
Most students who completed their FAFSA should have recently received their Student Aid Index (SAI) from the Department of Education. The SAI is used to determine federal and state grant eligibility and helps colleges calculate financial aid packages.
Colleges are just now starting to receive the FAFSA results for prospective students. How quickly colleges can review this information and provide financial aid packages to students will depend on the individual school. As a reminder, no senior should commit to any college or university without being 100% clear on the cost of attendance for all of their options.
A growing number of colleges and need-based scholarships have already extended their deadlines. It is a student's responsibility to be aware of deadlines and reach out to their counselor with any questions. This especially pertains to the traditional May 1st commitment date. An unofficial list of colleges and their deadlines can be found here: https://www.nacacnet.org/enrollment-deadlines-directory-2024/
There are still some glitches associated with this year's FAFSA. Namely, applicants who need to make a change or correction to a FAFSA form they have already submitted have not been able to do so. Additionally, some colleges received inaccurate tax data transferred from the IRS. In both cases, the Department of Education is working to rectify these issues.
A completed FAFSA is a graduation requirement. If you have not yet completed a FAFSA, you may begin the process here: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
Please reach out to your School Counselor with any questions.