LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Late last year, the U.S. Department of Education rolled out a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) portal. Some of those updates have caused problems and discouraged students and families from submitting their applications, leaving michigan 10,000 applications behind where it was at this point last year.
State outreach programs have been working to get students and families the assistance they need to submit their FAFSA. The newest program is from the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) and the Office of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). It’s called the Retired Educator FAFSA Specialists Program, or REFS.
MCAN’s director of Adult Student Attainment Strategy, Patrick Brown, explained that REFS focus on helping non-traditional students apply for community and tribal colleges and access benefits from the Michigan Reconnect Program.
“If students are missing that opportunity now, it becomes even more difficult to engage them in post-secondary going forward. We need all hands on deck to help students across the state enroll in post-secondary and specifically take advantage of completing the FAFSA and the Michigan Reconnect Program. ” Brown said. “We have a number of educators that are retiring or leaving the educational system but still have a lot of contribution left to give. They’ll actually help them walk through the process of completing the FAFSA, and fill out the documentation needed to enroll in Michigan Reconnect.”
Michigan Reconnect is a tuition assistance program designed to give financial aid to Community and Tribal College Students. In October, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the program will now cover eligible students over the age of 21.
Brown called the REFS community assets, he said the plan is for them to work with local workforce development organizations to target Reconnect eligible 21 to 24-year-olds who are looking to go back to school but don’t know where to start.
“In the Upper Peninsula, in particular, these REFS will be in contact with community-based organizations and with local government entities,” Brown said. “They’ll also be in touch with the Michigan Works Association.”
The program is still hiring REFS, Brown said there will be two to represent each region of the state, but they anticipate an official launch before the end of this spring to help students register.
