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. 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.  

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. 

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. 

Class of 2024 FAFSA Information 

The 2024-2025 FAFSA underwent many changes and was delayed in opening. Traditionally, the 2024-2025 FAFSA would have opened on October 1, 2023. Due to these changes, the 2024-2025 FAFSA opened on December 31, 2023.

Students MUST complete ALL steps of the 2024-2025 FAFSA (2 FSA IDs - one for the student and one for the contributor, the student side of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, and the contributor side of the 2024-2025 FAFSA) to utilize Osceola Prosper. 

Seniors enrolling in college/trade school in Summer 2024 need to complete both the 2023-2024 FAFSA and the 2024-2025 FAFSA. Seniors enrolling in college/trade school in Fall 2024 need to complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA.

Seniors and their families can receive free FAFSA support at their high school. See your high school's College & Career Counselor to schedule an appointment! 

Resources 

List of materials needed: Click here and here. (Spanish) 
Overview of FAFSA Changes: https://studentaid.gov/articles/fafsa-changes-coming/
Federal Student Aid Resource Videos: Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan - The New Income-Driven Repayment Plan (youtube.com) 
Create your FSA ID: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch (Spanish) 
FAFSA Completion support through Valencia College: https://valenciacollege.edu/finaid/fafsa.php 

Step 1: Create Your FSA ID 

A contributor and student both need to create an FSA ID in order to complete the FAFSA. This can be completed at any time. (Parents/guardians - if you've made one for yourself or older sibling previously, do not request a second FSA ID.) Click here for information on creating the FSA ID (Spanish). Be sure you save this in a safe place, as you will use this information to complete FAFSA each year you are enrolled in a technical school, trade school, or college.

The FSA can take up to 3 days to be processed. So, plan ahead! You cannot complete the FAFSA until you have a processed FSA ID. 

Step 2: Complete the FAFSA 

• Seniors planning to start trade school or college in the summer of 2024 will need to complete both the 23-24 FAFSA and the 24-25 FAFSA 
• Seniors planning to start trade school or college in the fall of 2024 will need to complete the 24-25 FAFSA 

Every high school has a team of FAFSA experts that will help walk students and families through filing FAFSA for free. Contact your school's College & Career Counselor for more information! 

Six Things To Do After Filing Your FAFSA - Spanish