December marks National FAFSA Filing Month, and Minnesota students are urged to apply early for financial aid. Keith Hovis, spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Higher Education, emphasized the importance of filing promptly.

“The earlier that you apply for the FAFSA, the earlier you kind of are able to get your financial aid offer from your college. Understanding what financial aid is available to you is a key indicator of whether you enroll or not, or knowing if you can afford college,” said Hovis.

While FAFSA applications for the Class of 2024 are down 4.8% from last year, with 40,000 applications submitted, overall FAFSA completion among enrolled Minnesota students has increased by 11%.

Additionally, technical issues that hindered FAFSA applications last year appear to have been resolved. Hovis noted, “We’re told that the majority of those technical issues have been addressed with this second kind of go with the new form from the federal U.S. Department of Education… We have not heard of issues so far.”

Students can find more information and tools to help with FAFSA completion at studentaid.gov.