As graduation for the Class of 2026 approaches, so does the deadline for FAFSA and CADAA. Now, what does this mean for Seniors and the financial aid they receive? After March 1st, Seniors will be unable to submit their FAFSA and CADAA for Northridge Academy High School, making them ineligible to graduate. This graduation requirement ensures that Seniors going to college, a trade, or even community college will get the money they need to continue their schooling and be as debt-free as possible.
Even though the federal deadline is March 1st, the college counselor, Jessica Estrada, has been urging seniors to finish their FAFSA or CADAA by February 20th. Via email, Estrada has stated the reasoning for this being, “My reason for the earlier deadline is to ensure all the applications go through in time and we can correct any errors or create accounts for whoever needs one. Some students and/or parents have trouble logging in and their accounts have to be reset and that can take up to 13 “business” days to reset, which does not include weekends and holidays. So, if they wait until March 2 to try to start the FAFSA or CADAA, when they log in and find out their account is locked, their application will be late. It also gives me time to find out what parents still need one-on-one support from me. I can then make appointments and do the application with them all before the March 2 deadline.”
New changes to FAFSA have changed how much money students get during their time at college, one of them being that students get a $257,000 cap when it comes to lifetime federal loans, according to Washington State University’s financial aid page. If students plan to go to graduate school, such as medical school, or pursue a master’s degree, the federal loan cap is $200,000. Students meeting or exceeding their full cost of attendance will not be eligible for the Pell Grant that is given through FAFSA. As well, students whose Student Aid Index is at least two times the maximum of the Pell Grant will not be eligible for the grant due to the changes. All of these changes go into effect on July 1st, 2026.
With how expensive attending college is, financial aid is something many students need to take advantage of, and also need to fill out, as it is a graduation requirement. Without filling out a financial aid application, seniors will not be able to graduate. The deadline is approaching fast, with only 18 days until the NAHS deadline. If any seniors need help filling out the student part or the parent part of the application, visit Estrada in the College Center.
