The U.S. Department of Education (Department) office of Federal Student Aid needs your help reaching Michigan high school seniors, current college students, and their parents to remind them to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. As Michigan's March 1 deadline approaches, the urgency to submit the FAFSA form increases. Submitting the FAFSA form is crucial because it is used to determine a student's eligibility for federal grants, work-study funds, and loans for college or career school. Also, some states, colleges, and private scholarship organizations use FAFSA information to determine their financial aid, which may be awarded on a first come, first served basis.

The Department recognizes the COVID-19 emergency has created uncertainty for many students and their families. And, we also know many students and families may not be thinking ahead to the fall 2021 school year. In fact, when compared to the same time last year, we've seen a more than 9% national decline in FAFSA submissions by high school seniors. In Michigan, that statistic is almost 14%, which means thousands of Michigan students may miss out on more than $115 billion available each year in federal aid to continue their education beyond high school.

It's now easier than ever to fill out and submit the FAFSA form on fafsa.gov or through the myStudentAid mobile app. And, we have several ways for students and parents to get help filling out the form. They can

•access enhanced help topics on the FAFSA form,

•visit StudentAid.gov/resources,

•use our virtual assistant, Aidan,

•tweet @FAFSA, and

•speak with a customer service representative at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243; TTY for the deaf or hard of hearing 1-800-730-8913).

Current data about FAFSA completion is available on the Federal Student Aid Data Center, which is the centralized source for information about federal financial assistance programs.