However, help is free and available.
âThere s just so much outside help that students and families don t know about, and it s free help, too,â said Lynne Baker, managing director of communications for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. âNobody should ever pay to get help. There s a lot of free assistance from experts.â
March 15-19 is Rock the FAFSA week, when schools are encouraged to set up virtual workshops or in-person events to help students complete the paperwork, in partnership with the state commission. Recent college graduates, the ISAC Corps, are trained to answer questions and provide that assistance, and are hired in their own communities so almost any school district has access to a local expert, Baker said.