LEWISTON — High school seniors and their parents are being encouraged to fill out a federal student aid application, which is posted online.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid used to be available Jan. 1, but they became available Oct. 1.

“Oct. 1 is the new Jan. 1,” Doug Dumont, aspirations coordinator for Lewiston High School, said.

To qualify for scholarships, grants, federal loans or a federal work study, students must complete a FAFSA, Dumont said.

“The earlier they fill it out, the more free money they can get,” Mary Beth Galway, Edward Little High School head of guidance, said. By March or April, there’s less grant money available, she said.

Filling out a FAFSA also qualifies students for a state of Maine grant. Based on their family’s income, if a student attends college in Maine they can qualify for the Maine grant, which can provide up to $1,500 a year. Unlike college loans, don’t have to pay back” a grant, Dumont said.

Also, if a student qualifies for a federal Pell grant and a state of Maine grant, that student could receive more than it cost to go to college, if that student attends a community college and lives at home, Dumont said.

The cost of a community college is about $3,800 a year, Dumont said. “If a family qualifies for the Pell grant, up to $6,000 a year, and the state of Maine grant, that’s $7,500,” that student would get $3,700 back to go to community college, Dumont said.

Like most high schools, Lewiston and Edward Little make announcements and hold workshops to encourage seniors to fill out the FAFSA.

At Lewiston High School, a workshop will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at the high school. It’s helpful if parents bring their 2017 tax forms.

At Edward Little High School a college night for seniors and their parents will be held Oct. 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17. 

A staffer from Central Maine Community College will be at Edward Little every Tuesday from 8 to 9 a.m. starting Oct. 16 to help families with FAFSA forms, Galway said.

Last year, 80 percent of Lewiston’s graduates filled out FAFSA, Dumont said. That’s an increase over previous years, Dumont said, but it still means 20 percent did not.

At Edward Little about 66 percent of graduates completed the FAFSA, Galway said. That’s a little higher than recent years, but “it is still not where we want to be.”

Students who don’t know if they’re going to college next year still should fill out the form, Dumont advised.

“It takes 25 minutes based on 2017 tax information,” he said. They may decide later they do want to go to college. “Usually that happens in July or August when their friends are going off to college.”

If they filed a FASFA form in October 2018, “they’ll already have money attached to their name. Or if they want to go in January, their FAFSA application is already done. That happens a lot.”

 For more information, go to: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa

Doug Dumont poses with “Captain FAFSA” in his office at Lewiston High School. Every high school senior should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application, which is necessary to get college scholarships, grants or loans, he said. Lewiston and Edward Little high schools are holding FAFSA workshops for seniors and parents on Oct. 17. (Bonnie Washuk/Sun Journal )