October

Know your FAFSA

Help students stick to their studies, practice financial fitness and debunk their own financial-aid fallacies.

By Lindsey Coulter

October 3, 2018

As of Oct. 1, the 2019-20 FAFSA and the new FAFSA mobile app are available. Faculty and staff are encouraged to help spread the word by making a quick announcement at the beginning of their classes, posting reminders on Blackboard or by sharing this helpful graphic.

“Many students often think they won’t qualify for aid, but almost everyone is offered something – and the FAFSA is a necessary first step for many scholarships, too,” said Haley Kline, initiatives manager for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. “All of this comes together to help students receive grants, scholarships and loans and navigate the financial barriers that might otherwise prevent them from persisting to graduation.”

For students with more specialized financial-aid and support needs, here is a quick and easy breakdown:

General support: If students need help completing the FAFSA, they can visit the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships each Monday and Thursday where staff from the Educational Opportunity Center are present to assist students with their application.

There will also be a FAFSA lab in the Jordan Student Success Building during the Metropolitan State University of Denver Open House on Nov. 3.

Undocumented and DREAMer students: 2019-20 Dreamer Student Applications (the DAIA form) are available through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships website.

Immigrant students: The Immigrant Services Program provides DAIA assistance to undocumented students, FAFSA assistance for students with undocumented parents and scholarship-essay assistance along with tools for external and/or private scholarship searches for non-native speakers and writers of English.

Immigrant Services is also providing a DAIA form workshop Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 in the Center for Equity and Student Achievement, SSB 237, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.