MICHIGAN

Workshops scheduled in Detroit, elsewhere to help students apply for college aid

Kim Kozlowski
The Detroit News
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Nearly 20,000 more Michigan students are expected to be eligible for a Pell Grant in 2024-25 and thousands of dollars are available for Michigan students to cover costs of a post-secondary education.

But students need to fill out the FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, to help them and their families unlock federal, state and institutional aid to cover college costs.

To help students and families, the first of several sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in Detroit to answer questions and work one-on-one with people on the newly revamped FAFSA form. The event, a partnership of the Detroit College Attainment Network, National College Attainment Network and Capital One, will be held at the Capital One Café,  511 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Two other workshops will be held Feb. 24 and March 23 in Detroit, while similar sessions are scheduled to be held across the state.

FAFSA was a form that students and families have long considered onerous and confusing. But the U.S. Department of Education streamlined the form for the first time in decades to make it simpler and make more students eligible for thousands of dollars to pay for college that in many cases don't need to be paid back. Typically available in October, the new FAFSA was released Jan. 1.

This is being hailed as the "better FAFSA" but there is less time for high school seniors to complete the form if they are planning to go to college in the fall, said said Cyekeia Lee, DCAN executive director. Others who need to complete the form, such as students already in school or adults considering going back, may also attend Saturday's event.

"This allows us to be side by side helping students do FAFSA," Lee said. "People don't have to go through this alone. They can go through this with people line by line. It's going to be a game changer for those who feel like they have to do it alone because they won't have to."

An estimated 19,844 more Michigan students are expected to be eligible for a Pell Grant in 2024-25, and over 38,000 more students are expected to receive the maximum grant, which is $6,835, according to data released in November by the U.S. Department of Education.

The FAFSA also helps student unlock funding from institutions they plan to attend as well as state grants including the new Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which awards grants ranging between $2,000 to $5,500 to state students in all sectors of post-secondary education.

More than $53 million in scholarships were awarded to 25,400 Michigan students in the first year of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, lowering costs by an average of by $2,093, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office said in December.

"FAFSA is the golden ticket to access federal, state and institutional financial aid, including Pell Grants and the new Michigan Achievement Scholarship," said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, executive director of the Michigan College Access Network. "When you provide students and families with real and accurate information about financial aid that is available to help them pay for college, they realize their dreams are more attainable than they thought. Ultimately, the FAFSA is about getting people the information they need to make the best choice for their life and career goals and all students and families deserve that."

The workshops come as Michigan is working to increase the number of people with a college degree.

Other scheduled workshops to help students and families fill out the FAFSA form include:

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