It’s back, and it’s just as important as

ever.

The Free Application for Federal Student

Aid, better known as FAFSA, is available for

students to fill out for the 2010-11 school

year.

And while FAFSA’s official “due date”

— the last day it can possibly be submitted

for next year — isn’t until the summer, it’s

better to turn it in sooner.

Kent State’s priority deadline for the

FAFSA is March 1, and the university is

asking students to submit their forms by

today to ensure it receives applications by

that date.

FAFSA forms play a large role in determining

how much financial aid students receive

on a year-to-year basis. They help determine

a student’s financial need and play a large

role in students receiving additional grants.

But that can’t be done if those students

wait until the last minute to complete their

forms.

We know — the forms are a pain in the

ass to fill out. We’ve all been there before.

But while it’s not fun to spend a night filling

out a financial aid form, the reward should

be enough to outweigh the negatives.

Let’s face it: Many college students

today are struggling with finances. We may

not all be poor, but any additional money

wouldn’t hurt. And getting grants is always

better than taking out loans and ending up

in debt.

With that in mind, it makes sense to fill

out the FAFSA forms as early as possible.

Really, it just guarantees you the best chance

to receive financial aid. That’s never a bad

thing.

According to FAFSA’s official Web site,

www.fafsa.ed.gov, the application has been

simplified. That’s definitely a plus because

the old application could get very difficult

to fill out.

If you’re still struggling to fill the form

out, however, don’t fret. The state held College

Goal Sunday yesterday to assist students

with filling the forms. Kent State’s

version of that was held in Franklin Hall.

If you missed that, though, try contacting

the university’s Financial Aid Office. The

employees there have more FAFSA knowledge

than us, which is definitely helpful.

They can also inform you about financial aid

opportunities outside of the FAFSA.

With the importance of the FAFSA, it’s

always important to do things right. That

means filling out the forms early and getting

help to do them if necessary. It just makes

things better in the long run.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion

of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.