Only 45% of local high school seniors had completed the FAFSA, according to the College Foundation of North Carolina’s FAFSA Tracker.
ELIZABETHTOWN — Each year, students leave millions of dollars of financial aid unclaimed, which could have been used to help them pay for college tuition as they embarked on a journey to their careers.
The students of Bladen County Schools are urged to take advantage of financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid now.
As of April 7, only 29% of high school seniors within the BCS school district had completed the FAFSA, according to the College Foundation of North Carolina’s FAFSA Tracker.
There are an estimated 299 senior students in Bladen County. Currently, only 93 students have submitted their FAFSA forms, while only 86 have completed the process. It is possible that this year may surpass 2022’s numbers of 98 submitted and 89 completed forms.
The federal deadline for the completion of FAFSA is 11:59 p.m. (Central Time) on June 30, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid website.
“Completing the FAFSA is a critical step in the process of going to college, especially for students who need financial aid, including the Pell Grant or NC Assist Loan to pay for college,” said Jessica Swencki, deputy director of myFutureNC.
myFutureNC is an organization that is committed to helping North Carolina meet the high demand for skilled workers in the 2030 workforce.
“We’re on a mission to completely close the educational attainment gap in North Carolina. Making that happen starts with an ambitious goal: ensuring that by 2030, 2 million North Carolinians have a postsecondary degree or credential — more than doubling projected growth over the next 10 years,” according to the organization’s website.
In order to complete the FAFSA, students should visit https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. For additional help in completing the form, students should contact their school counselor.