College admissions and financial-aid deadlines are looming—this free webinar may help

Barely more than half of the Indiana high-school seniors who graduated in spring 2023 were enrolled in college that fall—“the state’s lowest rate in recent history,” the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported in July.

The year before, in 2022, Indiana fell 39^th among 50 states for advanced degree attainment.

But as more than 66,000 Hoosier teens from public schools alone now face the question of what to do when commencement is over this May, Rep. Tim O’Brien, R-Evansville, thinks decoding an often confusing system could help.

He’s hosting a College Readiness Webinar on Oct. 1 that is free for students and parents to attend. In partnership with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, he hopes to assist high-school seniors navigate college applications and financial aid.

"The goal is to help make the financial aid process as seamless as possible for students and parents,” he said in a press release.

O'Brien, who is chair of the House Ways and Means K-12 Subcommittee, said the webinar will offer insight into the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The online application for the 2026-2027 school year will be available starting Oct. 1, with a deadline the following spring.

The webinar will also cover the Indiana Pre-Admissions: Your Path to College program, which allows high-school students with qualifying grades to be pre-admitted to certain state colleges and universities—a way of gauging their options before they even apply.

The 21st Century Scholars program and the Frank O'Bannon Grant will also be discussed.

The College Readiness Webinar takes place 6 p.m. Central time Oct. 1. Participants must register by 4 p.m. Central the same day—click here or visiting O'Brien's website.