Tulsa Public Schools Hosts FAFSA Workshops To Help Families Fill Out Application

High school seniors are looking toward college and that includes signing up for federal aid through FAFSA. FAFSA is an acronym for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and Tulsa Public Schools is working to help families fill out all of the forms.

To help applicants work through this process, Tulsa Public Schools is hosting several FAFSA workshops throughout the school year to make the application process as easy as possible.

One of the biggest things for families to know is that there are is sorts of funding out there through FAFSA for students looking to move on to college or even to technical schools. The deadline to apply isn't until the end of summer, but it's recommended that students fill the forms out sooner rather than later.

Before starting the application, there are a few things a student or family will need.

"You want to bring your most recent tax returns, and then you’re also going to need to create an FSA ID or federal student aid ID. That is something that can be completed in about five minutes or so. It’s a really simple process," Krystal Hutchinson, TPS director of Post-Secondary Readiness said.

FAFSA applications open up grant opportunities, loan opportunities, and free money for things like work-study as well. Tulsa Public Schools said that while they had a lot of students fill out the application last year, roughly 43% of seniors, they are working to get even more seniors signed up this year.

"This year, we have shifted strategies and we are kind of piggybacking on other events. So we’re hosting FAFSA nights in conjunction with parent-teacher conferences, for example. So we've definitely seen an increase in attendance," Hutchinson said.

Upcoming FAFSA workshops will take place on Thursday, October 27 at Webster High School from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, November 15 at Hale High School from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Tuesday, November 15 at McLain High School from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tulsa Public Schools will also have FAFSA workshops in Spanish on Saturday, October 29 at Casa de la Cultura from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at Saint Thomas Catholic Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.