The earlier students file the FAFSA, the more federal aid is available to be them. Further, research shows that filing the FAFSA early increases a student’s likelihood of college enrollment by 50%.
That’s why PeerForward teams work hard to encourage peers to complete the FAFSA before March 1, an early filing goal we encourage across all partner schools. What Peer Leaders do to reach this goal shows the great lengths they are willing to go to help their peers and gets to heart and creativity that goes into their campaigns. Here are a few examples of their great work:
Walking FAFSA Billboards at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Miami, Fla.
Peer Leaders at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Florida turned into “walking billboards” to let their peers know who to turn to for all things FAFSA. They did so by attaching neon green signs onto themselves that read, “Are you a senior? Have you filled out your FAFSA? ASK ME HOW TO GET IT DONE BY MARCH 1st.” Not afraid to approach peers in the hallway and the classroom with these attention-grabbing reminders, these Peer Leader “billboards” helped to keep their senior class accountable and on track to maximize their financial aid.
FAFSA Raffle for Students at Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High School, Los Angeles, Calif.
This PeerForward team knows a little incentive can go a long way in getting students to complete the FAFSA. They hosted a raffle open to every senior at their school who completed the FAFSA, offering up prizes like gift cards to movie theaters and video game stores, to “I Filed” stickers to promote their FAFSA completion to the rest of their peers.
FAFSA Lock-In at Largo High School, Upper Marlboro, Md.
Using the classic lock-in format typically used for celebrations or fun events, Peer Leaders at Largo High School hosted a FAFSA lock-in on February 26 to help seniors who still needed help to finish completing their FAFSA. Over the course of this three-hour morning lock-in, the team provided students with brunch and sat with students as they completed the form in their school’s media center. The event included a financial aid-themed scavenger hunt, a survey station, and a space for students to fill out pendants with their future career and college goals. The event helped about 30 more seniors at their school to complete their FAFSA!
