Financial Aid Office Helps Facilitate FAFSA Applications
The Office of Financial Aid has hosted workshops throughout the spring term for students and their families on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Galloway, N.J. – Thanks to the support of the Compass Fund, as well as the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), the Office of Financial Aid successfully hosted three FAFSA Completion Events during the Spring 2024 semester.
The two in-person sessions – held on Saturday, Feb. 3, and Thursday, March 21 – began with a presentation on the updates to the 2024-2025 FAFSA and what to expect from the new application. Following the presentation, students and families were guided to computer labs, where staff members with the Office of Financial Aid assisted them in completing the application.
In addition to the in-person sessions, the Office of Financial Aid hosted a virtual event on Wednesday, May 1, to assist students one-on-one via Zoom. Marielena Dottoli and Angelica Velez, assistant directors of Financial Aid, led all three events.
According to Dottoli, changes to the 2024-2025 FAFSA and the challenges that have come with the rollout of the application, demonstrated the necessity of these events “now more than ever before.”
“The funding provided by the Compass Fund and the Educational Opportunity Fund allowed us to incentivize event attendance, while providing students with a comfortable and enjoyable experience and a takeaway that will assist them with the financial aid process in the future,” Dottoli said.
Feedback from event attendees showed that the events were well received. Attendees appreciated the opportunity to attend the event and the assistance of the financial aid staff.
“The staff were extremely helpful and thoroughly explained the FAFSA and the new changes,” said one participant. “The event helped highlight the changes that came with the new FAFSA and allowed me to quickly complete my section of the FAFSA."
Through the events, the Office of Financial Aid was able to assist over 50 students with their 2024-2025 financial aid applications. The office also hosted FAFSA completion appointments throughout March and April, where they were able to assist 38 students.
– Story and photos submitted by Marielena Dottoli
