Getting more Philly students to file for financial aid

The city of Philadelphia is working to have more students fill out their college financial forms earlier to get the best package of grants and loans. 

It’s called FASFA, The Free Application For Federal Student Aid, and a new version is supposed to be far easier to complete.  Philadelphia is putting together 50 workshops across the city because only 38 percent of graduating seniors fill out the form.  Mayor Michael Nutter says it’s part of his goal to help more residents graduate college.

“We’ll emphasize the crucial role of completing the FASFA form as soon as possible, the critical role that plays in getting financial aid in the first place,” said Nutter.

Superintendent Arlene Ackerman says school counselors have been trained in filling out the forms.  “We’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of months with our counselors helping them and giving them professional development so they can begin to work with our young people,” said Ackerman.

Ackerman says the district wants to have 60 percent of students complete the form by March 15th.