All seniors, regardless of plan for after high school, should create a Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) account, which is the application for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarships as well as other state-based grants for trade school and college.

Seniors cannot create the profile until October 1^st of their senior year. Seniors graduating in December only have until December 31^st of their graduation year to complete their application. Seniors graduating in May only have until August 31^st of their graduation year to complete their application.

This cannot be created once a student has graduated from high school. If you do not create this account before graduation, you will not be able to receive any scholarships or grants that come from the FFAA (including Bright Futures), even if you meet the requirements.

See your school's College and Career Counselor for help, or view this step-by-step guide to be sure you create your account correctly.    

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Traditionally, the FAFSA opens each year on October 1st and tells students and their families how much federal financial aid (grants and loans) a student is eligible for based on family income alone. The FAFSA cannot be completed until October 1st of senior year. It is the one thing in your college-readiness journey that you cannot get an early jump on.  

FAFSA is a multi-step process that involves both the student and a contributor. FAFSA is completed each year a student is enrolled in college. 

Steps include: FAFSA checklist. 

• Contributor AND student each making their own, unique FSA ID. (Step-by-step guide about how to create an FSA ID.) 

  • Students and contributors each create a unique FSA ID before the FAFSA can be completed. The FSA ID can take 48-72 hours to process after creation. (Find out who your contributor is using this tool!)

  • Use your full, legal name

  • Save your FSA IDs, passwords, and other information using this FSA ID worksheet. 

  • More information on creating your FSA ID. 

• Student completing & submitting student side of the FAFSA
  • Include every school you are applying to. Schools that do not receive your FAFSA will not be able to give you a financial aid package.
• Contributor completing & submitting contributor side of the FAFSA 
• After all parts of FAFSA are submitted, check your email AND your FAFSA.gov account to make sure no other additional paperwork is needed.
  • The FAFSA needs to be marked as PROCESSED in order to be considered complete and for your colleges to receive it (many students incorreclty stop after making their FSA ID or after clicking “submit”)
  • What happens after I submit my FAFSA? 

Most trade schools, technical schools, and colleges will require a FAFSA on file before awarding any additional financial aid, and schools do have financial aid priority deadlines. Because of this, students are strongly encouraged to complete the FAFSA in October of their senior year, even if they are not sure of their postsecondary plans.

Completing FAFSA early (between October and December of senior year) can help increase your chance of receiving financial aid from your future institution. The earlier you complete FAFSA, the more financial aid you may be eligible for. 

There is no penalty for filing the FAFSA and choosing not to pursue secondary education or training. A completed FAFSA can only help. 

Even if you know you are not eligible for federal funding, it is still advantageous to fill out the FAFSA. Schools could decide to offer you more aid if they see you completed FAFSA and were not deemed eligible for any federal need-based aid. 

The 2026-2027 FAFSA is set to open on or before October 1, 2025.    

The 2026-2027 FAFSA must be submitted AND processed to be eligible for financial aid at postsecondary institutions (trade school, 2-year college, 4-year college). 

Additional verification steps are often needed in between submitting your FAFSA and having your FAFSA processed. You can find more information on this by checking your FAFSA status online. Colleges must be listed on your FAFSA in order for the institution to receive FAFSA information.     

Seniors enrolling in college/trade school in Summer 2026 need to complete both the 2025-2026 FAFSA and the 2026-2027 FAFSA.

Seniors enrolling in college/trade school in Fall 2026 need to complete the 2026-2027 FAFSA.

Seniors and their families can receive free FAFSA support at their high school through the Educational Opportunity Center with Educational Partners, Inc. See your high school's College & Career Counselor to schedule an appointment during the school day. For support after the school year ends or after school hours, please contact the following team members:

Mrs. Hollye Hendricks & Mr. James Hendricks  
Preferred method of contact: Text or email (from a personal email account)
Phone Number: 407-931-6187
Email: Hollyehendricks.eoc@gmail.com & Jameshendricks03.eoc@gmail.com
Serving the following schools: Harmony High School, Neo City Academy, Osceola High School, Professional & Technical High School, St. Cloud High School, Tohopekaliga High School, Zenith Accelerated Academy 

Dr. Terrace Brown, Mr. Mark Brown, & Mr. Brandon Wilson   
Preferred method of contact: Text or call. (If email is preferred, please email from a personal email account.)
Phone Number: 321-217-3442 
Email: terracebrown@mac.com & terracebrown@me.com
Serving the following schools: Celebration High School, Gateway High School, Liberty High School, Osceola County School For The Arts, Osceola Virtual School, Poinciana High School   

Find more FAFSA resources here!

Students and families can also receive support with completing FAFSA at Valencia College.