Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

RWJF is a national philanthropy, working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.

Learn more at RWJF.org.

This is NPR's Life Kit. I'm Lauren McGaqi.

Thank you. This is NPR's Life Kit. I'm Lauren McGaqi. There is a lot of money out there to help you pay for college.

We're talking federal aid, state aid, even scholarships to the university you want to go to.

And all you have to do to tap into that money is fill out a wonky, kind of long, complex

government form.

It's called the FAFSA, the free application for federal student aid.

That's FAAFSA.

Sounds like a party, right?

But remember, at the end of this could be a lot of money.

And we know that every year, lots of students miss out

on that money. They just leave it on the table because they don't fill out this form. And we're

going to talk about everything you need to know to apply for that money and why you should do it

sooner rather than later. Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert

Wood Johnson Foundation. RWJF is a national philanthropy, working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege,

but a right. Learn more at RWJF.org.

I'm here with higher education reporter Alyssa Nadwernie. Hey, Alyssa. Hey, Lauren.

So let's just jump in and start at square

one. Alyssa, what is the FAFSA for those students and parents who have not yet had the joy of filling

out this application? Well, the most important thing you need to know is that it's free. So the FAFSA is a federal

...