CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As completion of federal financial aid information by high school seniors continues to be down in West Virginia because of the pandemic, the state’s largest school district is leaning on a hometown star in hopes of increasing the numbers.
Actress Jennifer Garner appears in a YouTube message for the Kanawha County school system urging students to complete their FAFSA at a fair scheduled for Feb. 16-17 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
Garner said it takes less than 30 minutes to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
“To determine just how much money you may be eligible for all you need to do is fill-out the FAFSA,” Garner, a George Washington High School graduate, said.
Sissonville High School Counselor Hiedi Woody said in past years she’s been able to gather students and their parents at a fall financial aid workshop along with bringing in financial aid representatives to her school but that hasn’t been available during the pandemic. She said students just aren’t together.
“We’ve got virtual students. We’ve got e-learning and we also have the in-person students and then we’ve had to deal with them being on blended schedules and all remote. Then being able to get that information to the parents and in their hands has been very difficult,” Woody said.
She’s now recruiting students and families for the fair. She said she’s glad Garner agreed to help out.
“A friendly face is also helpful and encouraging to students,” Woody said.
Filling out a FAFSA is the key to obtaining financial aid for college including the Promise Scholarship. Woody said they are trying to make it as easy as possible students and their parents to participate in the fair.
“They can sign-up for a time and room to go with their parents. We’re providing transportation for students and their families during the school day,” Woody said. “All they need is their 2019 tax return and some other documents and they can work one-on-one with a rep from some of our local colleges and the higher ed department to complete that FAFSA.”
According to state Higher Education Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, as of Wednesday, FAFSA applications were down 25% from last year and Promise applications were down 50%.
Tucker said a closer look at the numbers show the low-income student in West Virginia is twice as likely not to have filled out a FAFSA as a non-Pell (Grant) eligible student.
“So the students that we’re losing right now in this pandemic are the students that we cannot afford to lose,” Tucker said. “They’re the students who can’t afford to go to college without filling out the FAFSA. They’re the students who can’t afford to go to college without West Virginia Invest, without the Higher Education Grant Program, without Promise.”
The deadline to apply for the Promise Scholarship is March 1. A FAFSA must be completed to complete the Promise application.
Woody said the FAFSA should be completed by everyone, even if a student doesn’t plan on going to college. She said it’s a great backup plan.
“Even if you think you’re going to get a job. You never know if you’re going to get a job. You might need to go get a certification or something. My advice is always, 100%, you should fill it out,” Woody said.
Those filling out the FAFSA will need to know their Social Security number, working emails for students and parents to verify the information and access to tax return records.
The FAFSA Fair at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center will include social distancing precautions including shields at sign-up tables and break-out rooms. Masks will be required. It will go from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 16-17. .
According to Kanawha County Schools, as of Jan. 15, about 29% of Kanawha County seniors had submitted the federal aid application. The county has a goal of 65% by April 15.