10-04-2025
College counselors urge students to complete FAFSA despite Dept. of Education uncertainty
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — With the deadline for local scholarships approaching next week, it is still uncertain what dismantling the Department of Education will do to federal financial aid.
Despite the uncertainty, college counselors are still stressing the importance of completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
'My role in helping students and families with FAFSA this year is not any different than it was last year,' said West High School college counselor Sarah Bast.
While the Department of Education is one of the largest providers of student financial aid in the nation, Bast said the FAFSA creates many opportunities for students to receive money for college outside of the federal government.
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'For most of our students, that step is the first in a chain of being able to access higher education. It provides them the resources that they need,' she said, 'And my message to seniors in August when we're applying for Tennessee Promise and helping them understand what needs to happen with FAFSA and HOPE and all of that is to say really there's no excuse not to do this.'
High school senior Bailey Fortner agreed. She said financial aid opportunities played a large role in her decision to go to the University of Tennessee in the fall.
'I know the out-of-state college is definitely more expensive than in-state, and I'm kind of looking at going to medical school. So that was definitely also a big factor to be like, 'okay, how much am I going to pay for undergrad versus like going on to more,'' she said.
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Since students must complete the FAFSA each year to continue eligibility for scholarships, she said with the current state of the Department of Education, she is unsure what that means for the rest of her college career.
'We don't really know what's going to happen in the next couple of years,' said Fortner. 'It definitely is going to be interesting to watch and see. But yeah, I just hope I can keep learning.'
In the meantime, Bast said the funding is there for those who want to access higher education.
'All they know is they need to get it done, and they want help with that,' said Bast. 'That's really my role is to make sure those students and families have the ability to get that submitted if they need help or if they don't need help.'
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While they have sustained cuts in staff and funding, FAFSA is still run out of the Department of Education, and the department cannot go away without an act of Congress.
The deadline for the Tennessee Promise Scholarship is April 15.
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