FAFSA Frenzy Week provides assistance by appointment at schools

Dear parents, grandparents and guardians of Union County senior students,
Need cash for college? The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens on October 1, but at Union County High School (UCHS), senior students and I, Joanie Brock, GEAR UP TN Site Coordinator, have already begun the process. Beginning September 9, we began creating the students' Federal Student Aid Identification (FSA ID) access online and completed the TN Promise Scholarship application. The FSA ID allows students to electronically sign their student aid application, while the TN Promise Scholarship application allows most students to attend a community college or TCAT tuition-free.
So, what is the FAFSA?
The FAFSA is a form completed by students and their parents/guardians that will determine the student’s eligibility for financial aid toward college, trade school, and in many cases, apprenticeships. The FAFSA becomes available online on October 1 of the year before you plan to go to college.
For example, if you are entering college as a freshman in the fall of 2020, the 2020-21 FAFSA is available October 1, 2019. It is important to note that college, state and private financial aid deadlines vary—so make sure you check with your particular college to find out their FAFSA submission deadline. Regardless of the deadline, you should aim to complete the FAFSA as close to October 1 as possible because financial aid dollars are limited and often are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Students receiving the TN Promise Scholarship to pay for their first two years of post-secondary education tuition must meet the FAFSA deadline to qualify.
We are jump-starting this FAFSA season with a UCHS FAFSA Frenzy Week!
FAFSA Frenzy Week begins October 21, where the UC FAFSA Ambassadors Team and I will offer pre-scheduled appointments to parents/guardians at Union County High School and the county’s elementary schools in which individualized assistance will be available.
The FAFSA Frenzy Week appointment schedule and locations are:
Monday, October 21, Luttrell Elementary School, 4 to 8 p.m.
Tuesday, October 22, Sharps Chapel Elementary School, 4 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, October 23, UCHS 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday, October 24, Big Ridge Elementary School, 4 to 8 p.m.
Friday, October 25, Paulette Elementary School, 4 to 8 p.m.
Additional dates where individualized FAFSA support is available at UCHS by appointment are:
October 3, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
November 14, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
December 18, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
January 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Additional appointments will be available by request on other dates.
When planning for your scheduled appointment, consider this checklist to gather the required documents for filing the FAFSA:
- 2018 tax return for parents and student (if you filed)
- W2 forms for parents, if they filed jointly, or end-of-year income records
- 2018 untaxed income records, child support and veterans benefits (if any)
- Parent and student driver license (if any)
- Email address for one parent and the student
- Social security number for one parent and the student
- Your alien registration card (if not a U.S. citizen)
- Parent username and password (if you completed a FAFSA in the past five years for yourself or an older child, you will already have one)
For more information or to schedule your individualized FAFSA appointment, call or email me at UCHS. My phone number is 865-992-5232, extension 5104. My email address is joanie.brock@ucps.org.
Don’t miss out on cash for college!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Joanie Brock