College and Career Centers in Pinellas high schools help students, families navigate FAFSA process

Application period for federal student aid opens

It?s college application season, and with it comes the big question of how to pay for it. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

SEMINOLE, Fla. - It’s college application season, and with it comes the big question of how to pay for it.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, window opens Wednesday. For many, the process can feel overwhelming. In Pinellas County high schools, each school’s College and Career Center coordinators not only help students with college applications, but also through the FAFSA process.

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"The reality is, applying to college is pretty intense," Julia Long, Osceola Fundatmental High School’s college and career coordinator, said. "There are a lot of steps that are involved and, of course, you know, financing it. And so, you now, we're breaking down those steps and making it easier."

FAFSA gives access to grants, work-study opportunities, scholarships and loans for college. It can also be applied to trade schools if the trade school is accredited and has a Federal School Code. 

What they're saying:

"Neither of my parents went to college, so they don't really, they've never been in this situation," senior Ava Bender said. "So, I'm the first one, and they really have no idea what they're doing. So, this is so helpful, because I have no idea what I'm doing."

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Bender wants to go to the University of Central Florida and wants to become a teacher. 

"I don't come from a high-income household. So, I don't have the extra money to do whatever I want and go to college like that, so it’s definitely more important for me to work towards that," Bender said.

"It’s such a great opportunity, because, outside of here, I would probably not do anything to get any extra money other than apply for easy scholarships online. In FAFSA, you can get so much money if you do it the right way and take the time to actually sit down and do it," Bender said.

Dig deeper:

Long said they also help students apply for scholarships and find other ways to pay for college. The Pinellas Education Foundation Scholarship and Florida’s financial aid also opened on Wednesday.

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"We really want them to be able to understand, you know, how much things cost and how to pay for it, how to graduate with as little debt as possible," Long said.

"Sometimes parents, you know, families say, ‘oh, I'm not going to get anything.’ And, yes, your income might be higher where your student's not going to get a Pell Grant, but you may get loans. Some students, you know, some families don't have all four years’ worth of college in savings. So, that's why you fill out the FAFSA in case you need to borrow money. It's a better interest rate if you're borrowing money from the federal government," Long said.

Florida students miss out on about $300 million every year by not completing the FAFSA, an application Long said now takes about 30 minutes.

"There can be just a little bit of fear involved, because you don't know what to expect, and that can be from the student and the parent. And so, you know, we work together as a team with the school counselors to educate the students, to break it down into smaller pieces, to make them realize that, you know, everybody can go to college," Long said.

Parents also have to create an FSA ID, but if parents have to do this for an older child, they can use that ID. Pinellas County’s College and Career coordinators will also help parents through the FAFSA process at Financial Aid and Support Services nights at each school between October and December. 

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What you can do:

A schedule of the FAFSA support sessions is on Pinellas County Schools’ website. 

The FAFSA priority deadline for Florida students is May 15, 2026. The federal deadline is June 30, 2026. Long, though, said it’s better to apply for any financial aid sooner rather than later.