News 12 at 6 O'Clock, February 26, 2010

AIKEN, S.C. -- An ambitious goal to be a social worker led Amia Robinson to look at Aiken Tech for college. But it took money to get her there.

"With me having a part time job, that wasn't enough to pay for school obviously," she said.

But the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, made it a downhill walk.

"Financial aid pays my entire way here. They pay for my books, they pay my tuition," added Robinson.

More than 660,000 students in Georgia got a grant, loan, or other aid last year. In South Carolina, nearly 300,000 filled out the FAFSA.

"That is what every financial aid office in the country requires," said Sherry Royal, a the Associate Director of Financial Aid at Aiken Tech.

Sherry estimates 90 percent of students on college campuses have financial aid. But it's harder to measure how many students don't get there because of the process of filling out a financial aid application, which some find frustrating.

Said Royal, "You'd read it, and you'd go, 'What exactly are they asking for?'"

"It was a lot," Robinson adds. "It's like filling out five job applications."

But financial aid counselors find students are having an easier time with it now. It's all done online. And don't kid yourself; many people are eligible.

"I ask (students), did you fill out the FAFSA, and they say, 'No, I'm not going to be eligible for anything,' and I'm going, 'Are you a South Carolina resident?' They say, 'Yeah,' and I say, 'Well, you're going to be eligible for the lottery.'"

Georgia has its own programs, which you won't know about if you don't fill out the FAFSA.

Go to FAFSA.gov or click on the Find It Button for more information on how you can apply.