Counselor's Corner

The 2024-25 FAFSA is now live on studentaid.gov, though it’s important to note that the U.S. Department of Education warns of possible interruptions due to site upgrades and user capacity limits.

Should students/families struggle to access the form, encourage them to try again later. There’s plenty of time to apply as colleges won’t start receiving data from the form until late January or early February. Students likely won’t receive award notifications until late February or early March.

Click the button below to access the FAFSA Fact Sheet, which includes helpful information.

Students and parents can choose from the following dates/times for these in-depth tutorials, which last around one hour. We will walk attendees through the 2024-25 FAFSA, provide detailed instructions for confusing portions of the form, and demo the FAFSA Submission Summary. All times are Central.

Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 12 at 1:00 p.m.

Jan. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. (Spanish)

Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Seniors:

____If you haven’t already, complete the FAFSA.

____Apply for scholarships; check out the Wisner-Pilger Scholarship list and your college's scholarship webpage.

____Update your Activities Resume.

Juniors:

____ Begin studying for the ACT.

During January, seniors should be continuing to search and apply for scholarships. The WPHS Scholarship List is updated weekly as new scholarships are released. Students should be checking the list at least once a week for updates. In addition, ScholarshipQuest is another great scholarship resources. It is a free database sponsored by EducationQuest that contains application information for more than 2,000 Nebraska-based scholarships.

This is a great scholarship and we have had several students awarded this one in the past. If you qualify, you should apply!

The Susan T. Buffett Foundation has offered scholarships to college students in Nebraska for over 50 years. Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to first-time freshman entering college who live in Nebraska, graduate from a Nebraska high school (or GED) with plans to attend a Nebraska public college, and demonstrate financial need.

The award amount varies based on the school in which you enroll. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see award amounts at various schools: Award Amounts

The application closes February 1st before 5:00pm.

Apply Here: https://buffettscholarships.org/