Steering families through a stormy year in financial aid
The FAFSA. It’s still no one’s idea of a good time, but we’d like to think we’re making it fun-adjacent this summer. With banners, t-shirts, swag, and boatloads of enthusiasm, our team has become as ubiquitous around the state as ice cream cones and live bands, popping up at farmers’ markets, baseball games, shopping outlets, and community events.
Our goal is simple: to spread the message that it’s not too late to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or even to apply to school, and that we are here to help.
As a trusted partner to families navigating the financial aid process, our team has been offering extra support with all things FAFSA-related since last year, when the federal government began a major overhaul of the form: Ensuring our staff was trained to handle the new form, keeping students, families, and educators informed through an initial delayed opening, an error in the new aid formula, and further processing delays; expanding our availability as we heard that students and families were frustrated and confused; holding open houses at colleges around the state, creating helpful resources, and amplifying our messaging through our networks and the media.
Since early 2024, as FAFSA completion numbers lagged last year’s by double digits, we’ve doubled down on our efforts. In June, with the future of many NH students at stake and the new school year approaching, we were ecstatic to receive federal funding to further enhance our support.
“The decrease in FAFSA completion this year due to delays and complications is not just a statistic,” said Granite Edvance President and CEO Christiana Thornton. “The numbers represent young people who may be walking away from opportunities because of frustrations and even misconceptions about this form. We are committed to helping students of all ages navigate their future pathways, and we see this work as critical to that mission and to the future of our state.”
In a massive collaborative effort, we’ve fanned out across the state to spread our message and support students and families.
The results have been inspiring. Our FAFSA ambassadors have engaged with more than 2,000 people so far this summer, providing helpful information, chatting about college-and-career options and financial aid, demystifying the FAFSA, and even helping some of them file FAFSAs.
One mother told us, “This process was too much, and just caved and stopped trying. Thank you for being there to help complete my son’s FAFSA.”
The events have also given us opportunities to share our materials and make new connections in the community. “We were all really proactive about meeting people,” Suzanne Simano, a member of our summer FAFSA support team, said after spending a sunny Saturday at Swanzey Old Home Day. “I cheered the pie eating contest on, bought and ate lunch with the local EMS members, and topped it off with a ride on the horse-pulled covered wagon sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, all while chatting about one of my favorite subjects, educational opportunities. … The people who can use our services are seriously overjoyed when they realize that there’s support out there to help figure it out at every stage.”
Need help with your FAFSA? Visit our FAFSA page to register for an upcoming open house or make a 1:1 appointment. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for weekly previews of where to find us.
