Fort Bend County Libraries’ Brainfuse HelpNow (Homework Tutoring) service now offers free online assistance for college-bound students and their parents needing help completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form for college financial assistance.
Live, on-demand, online FAFSA assistance is available Monday through Thursday, from 1:00 to 10:00 pm, to assist anyone who needs help completing the FAFSA form. Note: these hours are not the same as the regular Homework Help assistance, which is available seven days a week.
To access the Brainfuse HelpNow FAFSA tutors during the designated time, go to the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www.fortbend.lib.tx.us), click on the “Research” tab, then “Homework & Tutoring,” and select “Brainfuse Live Homework Tutoring.” Once the Brainfuse website is open, the FAFSA tutors can be found under the “Expert Help” column as the “Featured Service.”
To engage in the “Expert Help” section, type in the barcode number from a FBCL library card and then enter the “Featured Service – FAFSA” area. There is no time limit to the sessions. The first time patrons utilize the service from home, they may receive a prompt requesting that they install ActiveX software from the Brainfuse website.
Outside of the hours that live FAFSA tutors are available, parents and students may submit questions by clicking the “Send Question” link, creating an account, and following the instructions. A FAFSA tutor will respond within 24 hours.
Completing the FAFSA is the first step toward receiving federal or state financial aid for college. Worksheets can be downloaded from FAFSA’s webpage, http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. The actual application form may be completed online and submitted electronically, or it may be submitted by mail.
For more information, call the FBCL Communications Office at 281-633-4734, or the nearest FBCL library.