Families in Newark want to send their children to college, but may not know how to access state financial aid programs that could make it affordable.
A Rutgers-Newark study revealed that information about the programs isn’t reaching enough students and families, who may have trouble doing the financial aid forms, which are critical for paying for college, said Robyn Ince of Rutgers-Newark.
“If they don’t do the financial aid FAFSA application then they’re never going to know if they qualify for a state grant or a federal grant or affordable loans that have low, low, to no percentage rates,” she said.
FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is needed to get a Community College Opportunity Grant, which pays community college tuition for students whose families earn less than $65,000 a year, and the Garden State Guarantee, which can pay for the last two years of college.
“Someone might see FAFSA as yet another thing they have to do in the college process,” said Ince. ‘What’s the point, I’m not gonna get the money,’ that’s sort of the narrative that’s often out there about college.”
The Census shows that in 2021, 23% of adults in Newark had either an associate's or bachelor’s degree.
“What we want people to come away with is knowing that the state does have these two programs and many others and that the tool is the FAFSA and that the FAFSA can unlock college,” she said.
The study also found that students and families often have trouble with FAFSA’s time-consuming and complicated format.