[Counselors] FAFSA Night Recommendation Responses

Mon Oct 13 10:34:12 CDT 2025

We have hosted FAFSA nights for the past few years, but we never have more than three or four families attend.  (We graduate approximately 55 seniors per year.)  Have any of you found a way to improve participation?  What is the secret in the sauce?
Thank you!

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We have ours the night of parent teacher conferences.

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I usually just put all of the information out prior to our night...such as creating the FSAID prior to coming and bringing taxes for the previous year.  I have noticed parents that have to enter numbers from their taxes are those that are self employed. The application is so much easier than before...also if the student is able to have access to both emails it seems to expedite the process.

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We are going to have ours during our parent/teacher conferences this coming week. Our conferences in the fall are not well attended so we thought we would have FAFSA nights both nights since we will be there anyway. We have been promoting it. I sent out the information sheet and details to all senior parent emails and to all seniors. We have scheduled a FAFSA rep from our local career tech for one night and one from our local community college for the other night. I will keep you posted.

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We have ours during the school day. I usually create a Google Doc with at least 30 slots for families to sign up. Our local college sends out two representatives from their EOC Office, and they assist the families in completing the FAFSA. Both years we have done this, all slots have been full.

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Hello,

At our school we have a mission and vision that all scholars can go to and graduate from college. It's known from 9th-12th grade that we hold that belief in them. We teach a FAFSA unit 11th & 12th grade, which supports and talk about how applying can lead to free money to support their education. Then we set dates in October, November, December where families can come in. In the past we have offered free lunch or snacks and partnered with the Food Bank. But for us, our kids know it is important and that it is a state graduation requirement. Another thing we do is post to families early on. So this is an example of a post that got sent to our families so they knew why we needed them to come in

hat is FAFSA?
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is how students apply for financial assistance for college, trade school, or career training. Completing the FAFSA gives you access to free money — like Pell Grants — which do not need to be repaid.
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Why FAFSA Matters:
[?] Required for most scholarships and college aid[?] Can unlock thousands in federal and state grants[?] Graduation requirement in the state of Oklahoma(unless your family is unable to complete due to certain eligibility reasons)
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We’re Here to Help!
FAFSA Support Sessions at Tulsa Honor Academy High School:
[??] Office Hours
[??] October 13 | [?]  10:00 AM – 3:00 PM[??] Tulsa Honor Academy High SchoolWalk-in support — no appointment needed![??] FAFSA ID Creation Day (Scholars Only)
[??] October 21 | During Class[??] Tulsa Honor Academy High SchoolIf you haven’t already created your FAFSA ID, this is your chance! Senior scholars will complete this step during class time — no need to attend outside of school hours.[??] Report Card Pick-Up
[??] October 24 | [?]  10:00 AM – 7:00 PM[??] Tulsa Honor Academy High SchoolFAFSA support available during your scheduled time slot.Your senior advisor will notify the College Readiness team if you're able to stay after your RCPU session to complete the FAFSA.
[??] Saturday Session
[??] October 25 | [?]  10:00 AM – 2:00 PM[??] Tulsa Honor Academy High SchoolWalk-in support — no appointment needed!

What You Need to Bring & Know:
[??] 2024 Tax Information (Parent & Student, if applicable)[??] Scholar’s Social Security Number[??] Parent's Social Security Number or ITIN[??] Home Address[??] Parents' Birthdays (both, if living together)[??] Month & Year parents arrived in the U.S.[??] Parents' Email Addresses[??] Estimate of money saved in bank accounts[??] Parent’s FSA ID login if older siblings have completed FAFSA
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Let’s work together to make sure your scholar gets every dollar they deserve for their future.
[??] Contact us with any questions before your session.

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Don't forget you can access free resources at okcollegestart.org - OKcollegestart - Start With FAFSA<https://www.okcollegestart.org/Home/Educators/Start_With_Fafsa/_default.aspx>

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Financial Aid, FAFSA & Scholarship Publications - OKcollegestart - Financial Aid, FAFSA, & Scholarship Publications<https://www.okcollegestart.org/Home/Educators/UCanGo2/FinAid_Publications.aspx>

Sabrina Wood, M.S.

Coordinator for Student Preparation for College Readiness

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

655 Research Parkway, Suite 200

Oklahoma City, OK 73104

405-225-9257

swood at osrhe.edu<mailto:swood at osrhe.edu>

https://www.okhighered.org/student-prep/

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