FAFSA and Placement Tests Change

Fortuna, Ca

Alvretta Huffman

FAFSA starts October 1st, ends March 2nd and changes with placements tests for college. FAFSA is important for people who will attend college. Placement test are mandatory in some colleges in the state of California.

FAFSA is a program for students who live in the United States and would like to apply for financial aid. Placement test help students see what classes they need to take that suits them. Application dates for FAFSA now starts October 1st and end March 2nd. It’s first come, first serve for money, so applications need to go in before March 2nd if the students would like to be selected. If the applications are turned in after the 2nd, there is no guarantee that they will be funded in FAFSA or the amount, according to Coley Gaines from TRIO.

Seniors graduating in 2018 will no longer take the English Placement Test (EPT) or Entry Level Mathematics exam (ELM) and will instead have to rely on the Early Assessment Program test taken last spring or SAT scores to be placed in college-level classes. The placement test are for students who live in California, when they apply for college and need to know what classes they need to take.

Ms. Conley, an English teacher at Fortuna High, knows a lot about the FAFSA program and placement tests. “Fafsa gets students money for scholarships and grants you don't have to pay back.” She thinks it will help many students for future funding for college, and the longer a student waits they get less money when they apply.