Gazette-Mail: Two-thirds of WV’s high school seniors apply for financial aid

Photo of buttons that say FAFSA and a financial aid booklet

Nearly two-thirds of all high school seniors in West Virginia had completed an important application by the end of June, according to the state’s Higher Education Policy Commission.

The application, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the first step for students to earn the Promise Scholarship and to qualify for other forms of federal student aid. In Kanawha County, where state officials secured a $55,000 grant to encourage more students to complete the application, there was at least an 8 percent bump from the 2014-15 school year.

“Our high schools were very creative in reaching out to students and their families,” said Jon Duffy, director of counseling and testing at Kanawha County Schools. “We wanted to go to where the parents were.”

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