FAFSA education gap - why aren't schools preparing families earlier?

I completely understand your frustration. The financial aid system does have a steep learning curve. Just to clarify though - extracurricular activities and community service don't actually affect your FAFSA results or SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation. Those are based purely on financial information. However, they ARE important for merit scholarships, which are separate from need-based aid. Many colleges and private scholarships consider both academics and activities when awarding non-federal aid. Schools definitely should do better at explaining the entire college funding picture earlier. The FAFSA itself is just one piece of the puzzle.

my kid got ZERO guidance until senior year too! its ridiculous!!!! the whole system is designed to trip us up. our middle school said nothing about college prep and then suddenly junior year everyone's panicking about activities and community hrs. by then its almost to late!

As a college financial aid advisor, I want to clarify something important: The FAFSA and your SAI calculation are ONLY based on financial information (income, assets, household size, etc.). Extracurricular activities have zero impact on your federal aid eligibility. However, here's where the confusion happens: 1. Merit scholarships (from colleges and private organizations) often DO consider activities and service 2. Some colleges use both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, which asks more detailed questions 3. Many schools package all aid together, making it seem like one process You're absolutely right that this education should start earlier. I recommend families begin learning about college financing options by 8th grade. The FAFSA simplification coming for 2025-2026 will help somewhat, but the overall system remains complex.

I wish I'd known all this sooner too lol. My daughter is a sophomore and we just started tracking her volunteer hours after her friend's mom told us how important they are. No one from school mentioned it! Like why keep this secret? 🤷‍♀️

The system is DELIBERATELY COMPLICATED to keep regular families from getting aid! My cousin works in higher ed and says colleges rely on confusion to limit how much they pay out. They don't want middle schools teaching this stuff because then everyone would know how to maximize their aid. My son is brilliant but got minimal aid because I didn't know how to play their games with the FAFSA. Meanwhile, families who know the loopholes get thousands more. It's rigged against first-generation college families.

Anyone else dealing with the FAFSA hotline nightmare? We had questions about reporting my son's activities and couldn't get through for DAYS. Kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours! Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) after another parent recommended it, and actually got connected to an agent in 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works too: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained that the FAFSA itself doesn't consider extracurriculars (only financial info), but pointed us to resources for finding scholarships that DO care about those activities. Wish I'd known this service existed months ago!

Here's what middle schools SHOULD be teaching about college financing but don't: 1. The FAFSA determines federal aid eligibility based solely on financial information 2. Institutional aid often combines need-based and merit-based components 3. Merit scholarships typically consider activities, leadership, and service 4. CSS Profile schools require more detailed financial information than FAFSA 5. Students should document ALL activities starting in 9th grade 6. Different types of aid (grants vs. loans vs. work-study) have different implications I'm a school counselor who's been pushing for a financial literacy curriculum starting in 7th grade. The resistance usually comes from packed academic schedules and the misconception that college is "too far away" to discuss with middle schoolers. We're doing families a disservice by waiting.

My daughter's middle school actually did have a college prep night! But it was so basic - just "get good grades" and "take challenging classes." Nothing about how financial aid actually works or that we should be tracking activities for scholarship purposes. Completely useless tbh

For those still confused about how activities relate to college funding: 1. Federal aid (determined by FAFSA/SAI) - Based ONLY on financial information 2. Institutional aid - Can be need-based, merit-based, or both 3. Private scholarships - Often consider academics AND activities This is why tracking extracurriculars matters for financial aid broadly speaking, even though it doesn't impact your FAFSA results specifically. Students with significant activities may qualify for merit scholarships that reduce their overall cost, sometimes dramatically. As for resources, the Federal Student Aid website (studentaid.gov) has guides for middle and high school students. The FAFSA in 7 project also provides materials specifically designed for middle schoolers.

This thread is so helpful! As someone just starting to navigate this with my 8th grader, I'm realizing we need to get organized NOW. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like I should: 1. Start a spreadsheet tracking ALL her activities, volunteer hours, and leadership roles 2. Understand that FAFSA = federal aid based on finances only 3. Research merit scholarships early since those DO care about extracurriculars 4. Look into whether her target schools use CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA Is there a good resource for finding out which schools require CSS Profile? And should we be thinking about specific types of volunteer work that scholarship committees prefer, or is any documented service equally valuable? Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice schools should be providing but clearly aren't!