Shelby Gibson
Mrs. Jones works every day in her office to aid students in their FAFSA and college applications.
College costs a lot of money–a pricetag that’s extremely daunting for a lot of families throughout the nation. Thankfully, the FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is a form completed by current and prospective college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. The FAFSA opened up for the 2026-2027 school year on October 1 and is now live.
Once the FAFSA is filled out by the student and their parents, they receive a student aid index code, or SAI. The SAI helps financial aid offices determine a student’s financial need for college by factoring in their family’s income, assets, and household size. To apply for certain scholarships, such as Promise, as well as other various forms of financial aid for college. Filling out the FAFSA can be confusing and daunting.
“We actually will have a night in February where we invite parents and students to come up if they need help,” said Ms. Short, head counselor at Wheeling Park High School.
While an exact date has not been selected yet, families can rest easy if they want assistance in filling out the FAFSA.
“I’ve been less stressed financially because of the aid I’ve gotten from FAFSA,” said Melody Campbell, an alumna of Wheeling Park High School. “I would say, even if you think you aren’t going to get anything from FAFSA, you should still do it. It cannot hurt you, but it can help you.”
Campbell is now studying at Marshall University and thriving thanks to the assistance that FAFSA has provided her.