A student sits at a computer, looking at a financial aid website.
Credit: College Now Greater Cleveland

It’s FAFSA season. 

That’s the financial aid form that can help students get money to help pay for college. The acronym stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  

A new version of the FAFSA is out for the 2024-25 academic year. College access group College Now Greater Cleveland is continuing to offer several free workshops this month to help students and their families complete the updated form. 

Where to get FAFSA help in Cleveland

College Now staff members are running these workshops at local libraries. Registration is required. Here are the locations for the reminder of March: 

  • Tuesday, March 12 (6 p.m. – 8 p.m.): Cuyahoga County Public Library Parma-Powers branch; 6996 Powers Blvd., Parma, 44129 (register by clicking here)
  • Wednesday, March 20 (4 p.m. to 6 p.m): Cleveland Public Library’s Martin Luther King branch; 1962 Stokes Blvd., Cleveland, 44106 (register by clicking here)
  • Friday, March 22 (4 p.m – 6 p.m.): Cleveland Public Library’s Harvard-Lee branch, 16918 Harvard Ave, Cleveland, 44128 (register by clicking here)

What to bring to a FAFSA workshop

Here is what College Now told Signal Cleveland that students and families should bring: 

  • FSA ID: This is an “important first step” to complete before these workshop events, College Now tells Signal Cleveland. Students and their parents or guardians each need to have their own ID. The organization created this step-by-step form explaining how to create an account.  
  • Email addresses for students and parents/guardians.
  • Social Security number for students and parents/guardians. Roadblocks for parents and/or guardians who don’t have a Social Security number have been one of the biggest criticisms of this new FAFSA. The government says a fix for this issue should come this month. 
  • 2022 federal income tax forms and/or 2023 W-2(s) for students (if applicable) and parents/guardians 

Additional information, including a checklist, is available on the College Now’s website. 

FAFSA’s rocky rollout

This new version of the FAFSA came out after long delays at the end of 2023. The rollout was littered with problems, including technical troubles and an issue with a funding formula. 

The federal government says colleges won’t receive students’ official financial information until mid-March. That, in turn, is delaying the financial aid packages colleges put together for students to weigh their options and make a decision. Lots of colleges are adjusting their admissions deadlines because of this. 

It’s important to note, though, that it’s not too late to complete the FAFSA for the upcoming academic year. The deadline to be eligible to potentially receive state aid in Ohio is Oct. 1. 

What type of coverage is missing when it comes to higher education in Cleveland? Our reporter Amy Morona wants to know what you think! Send her a note by filling out this form.

Higher Education Reporter
I look at who is getting to and through Ohio's colleges, along with what challenges and supports they encounter along the way. How that happens -- and how universities wield their power during that process -- impacts all Ohio residents as well as our collective future. I am a first-generation college graduate reporting for Signal in partnership with the national nonprofit news organization Open Campus.