FAFSA Fast Facts

If your teenager plans to attend college, you need to know about the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Your family has nothing to lose by applying for financial aid and everything to gain. Some financial aid programs have just a set amount of money to distribute. So your teen needs to apply as close to January 1st as possible. The holiday break is a great time to gather the necessary documents for application. Here are some fast facts:

• The FAFSA is a completely FREE application. If you need help filling it out, there are many free tools available to help you. You don't need to pay anyone to help you fill out the FAFSA.
• Your student's eligibility for aid depends on your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), his or her year in school and enrollment status, and the cost of attendance at the school he or she will attend.
• Electronic filing is faster than filing a paper form. In fact, it may be as many as 14 days faster if you sign your application with your PIN (4-digit ID number) as soon as you complete it.
• For more information about financial aid, visit the ACT Financial Aid Estimator.

Why Should Your Teen Take the ACT?

While some people may believe that the ACT is just a college admissions test, it is so much more. ACT research shows that everyone needs a strong academic foundation to succeed in college and the workforce. The ACT clearly shows strengths and weaknesses in overall academic preparation. Using the score report data, your student can modify his or her remaining high school course schedule to address areas of weakness and improve academic readiness.

That's because the ACT is curriculum-based. The test is not an IQ test; it is not an aptitude test. All ACT test questions are directly related to the skills and knowledge students are taught during classes in English, mathematics, social studies and science.

Is your teen college bound? ACT scores are accepted by all 4-year colleges and universities across the U.S. And even if college isn't on your teen's radar, the ACT test offers benefits. A student interest inventory provides valuable information for career and educational planning. And ACT research shows that many of the same skills needed for success in college are also needed in today's workforce training programs.

Not only is the ACT a helpful tool, it's also an affordable resource. As a private, not-for-profit organization, ACT is committed to providing services at the lowest possible cost. And fee waivers are available for low-income students. For more information about the ACT, please visit the ACT Test FAQs.

Holidays at Home: Brain Boosting During the Break

Of course school breaks are fun. Of course they're for relaxing. Of course students will probably just want to have fun. But maybe, just maybe, you can encourage them to keep their brains active during the long stretch from December to January. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Give the gift of reading. Buy a book or two for your teen to read during the break. Your teen can ask a local librarian for other reading recommendations.
2. Encourage your teen to go surfing—even if the weather outside is frightful—for colleges online.
3. Enroll your student in a holiday workshop or camp
4. Pull out a challenging board game or play some chess
5. Ask your teen to find someone less fortunate during the holidays and help them
6. Support your teen's efforts to find a part-time or seasonal job
7. Attend a concert or play together
8. Ask your teen to play a physically or mentally challenging game of Wii with you
9. Set reasonable daily limits for texting, TV and internet usage
10. Take an art class with your teen
11. Enlist your teen to help you with the household budget and bills
12. Encourage your student to read the daily paper so you can discuss current events

Students Helping Students

ACT offers fresh perspectives and great advice directly from other students. Your teenager can read our student blogs in both English and Spanish or listen to our student podcasts online or subscribe free on iTunes. Both the blogs and podcasts are frequently updated, so encourage your teen to bookmark these sites.

Did You Know?

Non-Saturday testing is available for two groups of students: those who cannot test on Saturday because of religious beliefs or those who live in remote areas. If either applies to your family and if there is a non-Saturday test center within 50 miles of your home for any test date, your teenager should plan to register for that date and request that center. For more information, please visit the ACT website for more information about non-Saturday testing.

2009–2010 ACT Test Date Schedule

Students may register online or pick up registration packets from their high school counseling office. The cost for the ACT test without writing is $32. When combined with the optional ACT Writing Test, the total cost is $47. For those who qualify, fee waivers are available through high school counselors.

If you think other parents would benefit from the information in ACT Parent, please encourage them to subscribe at subscribe to ACT Parent.

See also:

ACT's Information for Parents

The ACT

PLAN

EXPLORE

Financial Aid

College Search

Careers