TRC FAFSA Frenzy offers help with applying for financial aid

Three Rivers College’s annual FAFSA Frenzy is returning this month as a service to current and future college students.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is a tool used to determine a student’s eligibility for scholarships or loans to help pay for their classes.

The FAFSA Frenzy at TRC is part of a statewide initiative started in 2004 to help students receive financial aid. TRC participates in the annual event as well as sending recruiters to all local high schools, said Alysia Musser, student loan default management specialist.

“We normally see a little over 40 students at this,” she said. “But we also have recruiters go into the high schools so we’re able to reach students that way as well.”

It is recommended for somebody to file a FAFSA even if they’re not certain about what their future college plans are because it can open up funding options if they do decide to attend classes that year.

Musser said while the FAFSA is required for federal financial aid, there are also other local or state scholarships that require a FAFSA as part of an application, such as the A+ scholarship. Students who file at a FAFSA Frenzy event are able to apply for a FAFSA Frenzy Scholarship for the 2020 fall semester.

The TRC event is open to any students in the area, whether they’re considering or are currently attending TRC.

It will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 2-6 p.m. at the Westover Administration Building rooms 302 and 304.

Participants will need to bring:

2018 W-2 forms

Copies of their 2018 fax forms

Social security number

Student and parent Federal Student Aid IDs (Students and parents should apply for separate FSA ID user names and passwords at https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm before attending a FAFSA Frenzy event).