THE FAFSA TOOLKIT | HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS

FREE FAFSA RESOURCES TO ASSIST STUDENTS WITH FAFSA COMPLETION
FREE FAFSA RESOURCES
FOR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS

We have created these free resources to help high school counselors provide students and families with guides, tools, and tips for the FAFSA completion process. This information is provided to you as part of RISLA'S College Planning Center's mission to provide affordable access to higher education.

 
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Talk with RISLA's College Planning Center experts! We would be glad to facilitate an informational session on-site or virtually for your school.

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KNOWLEDGE FOR COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP

Awards four students every month a chance to win a $2,000 scholarship to help pay for college!

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FAFSA DELAYED FOR 2023

The release of this year's Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA, has been delayed by the Department of Education. This delay will affect both current college students and the high school Class of 2024.

Click to receive additional updates: FAFSA NOTIFICATION

HOW TO GET STUDENTS STARTED WITH THE FAFSA

PARENTS & STUDENTS MUST CREATE A FSA ID

Parents and students having a FSA ID prior to starting the FAFSA is the fastest way to sign and submit their application. The FSA ID is the only way to access or correct information online or to prefill an online FAFSA form with information from previous year’s FAFSA form.

CREATING A FSA ID

DOWNLOADABLE COUNSELOR RESOURCE

We have provided step-by-step instructions for students to create their FSA ID. This would be best used as a poster, handout, email attachment, or featured in your newsletter.

HOW TO YOUR CREATE FSA ID
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FAFSA COMPLETION GUIDE

A step-by-step preview of the FAFSA form.

We have created a step-by-step (screen-by-screen) preview of each section of the FAFSA. Included are easy-to-read directions and pro tips from our RISLA College Planning Center's team of experts.

VISIT THE FAFSA GUIDE
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RHODE ISLAND LEGISLATION
NEW LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENT FOR FAFSA
The College and Career Success for All Students Act S3015 | EFFECTIVE JULY 01, 2023

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FAFSA REQUIREMENT
IMPORTANT NOTICE | EFFECTIVE JULY 01, 2023

In accordance with The College and Career Success for All Students Act S3015, Rhode Island public and private schools are required to provide notice to both students, parents, and/or guardians with information regarding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Rhode Island Alternative Financial Aid Form.

DOWNLOAD
ACT S3015
 
ABOUT THE FAFA NOTIFICATION DOCUMENT
CUSTOMIZATION

The PDF can be easily customized to suit the needs of each high school.  Available in both English and Spanish.

REQUIREMENT

This notification is required by ACT S3015 to be disclosed to parents, and students, and to be kept in student files.

INCLUDES
  • How to prepare for The College and Career Success for All Students Act S3015
  • How to personalize and edit the document with the high school name.
  • Where to stay up to date about ACT S3015.
  • Detailed information about the importance of FAFSA completion.
  • Where to find the RI Alternative Finacial Aid Application.
  • Free resources for FAFSA.
  • Types of Financial Aid and definitions.
DIGITAL CONTENT
FREE FAFSA PRINTABLES & VIDEOS FOR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS
This content can be printed and posted throughout your school, emailed, or included in a school newsletter to help keep parents and students informed about the importance of completing the FAFSA, and free completion assistance is available from the College Planning Center.

 

 

 

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FAFSA & SCHOLARSHIPS

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Promotes Scholarships, FAFSA Completions Guide, and Scheduling an Appointment to complete the FAFSA.

DOWNLOAD
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SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

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RISLA's College Planning offers free FAFSA Completion assistance to students and parents. Includes an English and Spanish version.

DOWNLOAD
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FIVE MYTHS ABOUT FAFSA

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Learn the truth about FAFSA Myths with 5 questions everyone asks about completing the FAFSA. Placeholder text.

DOWNLOAD
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HOW TO CREATE YOUR CSS PROFILE

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Promotes a timeline of financial aid that can be awarded to a student for college.

DOWNLOAD
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STUDENT FAFSA CHECKLIST

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Getting students started with FAFSA. We created a FAFSA  Checklist to stay on track.

DOWNLOAD
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REASONS TO FILE YOUR FAFSA

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Promotes time of financial aid that can be awarded to a student for college.

DOWNLOAD
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QUESTIONS ABOUT FINANCIAL AID?

Learn more with The Financial Aid Guide

VIEW THE GUIDE

LET'S GET SOCIAL

LIKE, LOVE & SHARE

Social media is a great way to spread the FAFSA word! We have provided your school with FAFSA social posts to share in an email blast, newsletters, websites, or across your social media platforms.

DOWNLOAD SOCIAL POSTS:

OPTION 01 | JPG FILES

  • Hover Over the image
  • Click on + 
  • Right Click>Save the Image as
  • The image will be saved as a .jpg

OPTION 02 | PDF

  • Click below to download as a PDF file.
DOWNLOAD PDF

FAFSA RESOURCES

BLOG POSTS CAN BE SHARED CONTAINING ADDITIONAL TIPS TO HELP STUDENTS WITH THEIR FAFSA START TO FINISH
  • Created with Lunacy
  • Created with Lunacy
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FAFSA VERIFICATION

What to do if you are asked to verify your FAFSA.

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HOW TO PREPARE

FAFSA season is here, and getting an early start is the best plan of action.

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FAFSA & DIVORCED

How to complete the FAFSA for divorced or special circumstances.

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FILING THE FAFSA

No need to stress over the FAFSA!

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RISLA COLLEGE PLANNNING CENTER

FAFSA VIDEOS
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FSA ID TIPS
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COMPLETING THE FAFSA
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FSA ID TIPS | SPANISH
FSA ID TIPS
COMPLETING THE FAFSA
FSA ID TIPS | SPANISH

HOW TO PREPARE FOR FAFSA

Money for college starts with FAFSA

Everyone should complete the FAFSA which can qualify students for grants, scholarships, federal student loans, and work-study.

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ACCOUNT BALANCES

Balances of checking & saving accounts for parent(s) and student.

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COLLEGE LIST

A list of schools that students will be applying to.

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TAX RETURN
Printed copies are required for parent(s) and student.
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W2 OR PAY STUBS

Printed copies are required for parent(s) and student.

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MARRIAGE & DIVORCE

Parents are required to provide the date of marriage or divorce. 

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START
COLLEGE PLANNING

If you need assistance at any point in the college planning process, free help is available.

Simply schedule an appointment with the RISLA College Planning Center. The counselors can walk you through every step of the way, help you access financial aid, and answer your difficult college planning questions.

For high school seniors, it's not to late, we can catch you up quickly with the college planning timeline provided below. 

SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT
RISLA PRODUCTS & SERVICES
COLLEGE PLANNING CENTER

Students and families can be overwhelmed with planning and how to pay for college.  We have experienced counselors that offer one on one assistance helping families understand all their options start to finish.

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EDUCATION LOANS

We have been offering low cost, fix rate education loans for almost 30 years.  Helping students and families borrower responsibly to help achieve their higher education dreams.

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REFINANCE

Refinancing may help you simplify and save when repaying student loans.  Combining outstanding balances, and securing a low interest rate with RISLA may reduce your overall repayment amount and possibly your monthly payment.

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EMPLOYER REPAY

Employer Student Loan Repayment assistance is a tax-free benefit allowing employers to contribute towards the repayment of employee student loans.  This newest in-demand employee benefit helps reduce financial stress for employees while increasing retention and loyalty to employers.

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