FAME helps you serve your students and their families as they prepare, apply, and pay for education after high school. Find tools to help, such as videos and presentations, professional development trainings, FAFSA completion tools, and financial education resources.

Videos and Presentations to Share with Families

FAME is here to help your students and their parents learn about financial aid. To make the process less overwhelming, we’ve created a series of short, animated videos that walk students through the entire financial aid process. Please share our videos with your families.

Please encourage your students and families to attend a Financial Aid Information Session, ideally during the student’s junior year. FAME’s in-person Financial Aid Information Sessions are held in the fall and the spring throughout the state. FAME also offers virtual Financial Aid Information Sessions. To schedule an event for your high school, contact your assigned College Access Counselor (Jessica Whittier, Maria MacDougal, or Nikki Vachon) or email Mila Tappan.

Financial Aid Information Presentation

Share this Financial Aid Information Session video with your students and families so they can watch it at their convenience.

Professional Development

FAME’s Wednesday Webinars provide web-based training and information to school counselors, college access advisors, financial aid counselors, and anyone who works with families, helping them prepare to pay for higher education and navigate the financial aid process.

Our monthly virtual trainings, also known as Wednesday Webinars, are held on the second Wednesday of each month during the academic year from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

All webinars are also recorded. Archived webinars not listed below are available on YouTube.

Professional Development Videos
TitleDateRecordingPresentation
So, There’s Money Left to Pay March 2023RecordedPDF
Supporting New Mainers – How FAME Can HelpFebruary 2023RecordedPDF
Comparing Financial Aid OffersJanuary 2023RecordedPDF
Understanding the Status of Debt Relief and the PSLF WaiversDecember 2022RecordedPDF
Scholarship Champions: Inspiring Students to Scholarship SuccessNovember 2022RecordedPDF
Filing the 2023-2024 FAFSAOctober 2022RecordedPDF
Filing the FAFSA with Students in Unique Living SituationsSeptember 2022RecordedPDF
From Backup Plan to Boss Man – or WomanJune 2022RecordedPDF
Saving for Higher Education – Debunking Myths and Sharing ResourcesMay 2022RecordedPDF
Responsible Borrowing 101: Tools & Strategies to Support Your Students Before They BorrowApril 2022RecordedPDF
You Can Get There From Here- Pathways To Education After High SchoolMarch 2022RecordedPDF
Making College Affordable: Tips to Pay the Remaining Balance After Financial AidFebruary 2022RecordedPDF
Understanding and Comparing Financial Aid OffersJanuary 2022RecordedPDF
Upcoming Changes to Student Loans – What You Can Do NowDecember 2021RecordedPDF
Turning Community Service into Money for CollegeNovember 2021RecordedPDF
Filing the 2022-2023 FAFSAOctober 2021RecordedPDF
Tools to Help Students Build a List of Schools and Make Informed Financial DecisionsSeptember 2021Recorded PDF
Paving the Pathway: Steps for Helping Students beyond High SchoolJune 2021Recorded PDF
Paying the College BillMay 2021Recorded PDF
Using Financial Education Games to Guide Students on a Path to Financial WellnessApril 2021 N/A PDF
FAFSA SimplificationMarch 2021Recorded PDF
Understanding and Comparing Financial Aid OffersFebruary 2021RecordedPDF
Verification: Steps to Unlock Financial AidJanuary 2021RecordedPDF
Managing Student Loans During and After the COVID-19 PandemicDecember 2020RecordedPDF
Important Personal Finance Topics and Tools to Share with Young AdultsNovember 2020RecordedPDF
What You Need to Know to Help Students File the 2021-2022 FAFSAOctober 2020RecordedPDF
Financial Wellness Tips During COVID-19 and BeyondJune 2020RecordedPDF
Financial Aid AppealsMay 2020RecordedPDF
The Impact and Importance of ScholarshipsDecember 2019RecordedPDF
In-Person Trainings

Financial Aid 101

Financial Aid 101 (FA 101) is FAME’s annual financial aid training for school counselors, college access advisors, educators and anyone assisting students with the financial aid process. This free event offers the latest financial aid updates, training sessions on our most requested topics, and information on events and activities for the upcoming year.

The 17th annual Financial Aid 101 will be held on March 17, 2023.

Agenda with Session Descriptions

Register for Financial Aid 101

If you have any questions, please contact Nikki Vachon.

Summer Financial Aid Training Sessions

To help prepare for the upcoming financial aid season, FAME offers a free Summer Financial Training event in August. The August 2022 training has passed.

If you missed the event but would like to know what was covered check out the 2022 Summer Training Agenda. If you would like to view the PDFs of the presentations or listen to any of the session recordings, you can access them via FAME’s Google site.

FAFSA Resources

Filing the FAFSA is the important first step students need to take to access financial aid. Here are some resources that will help you help your students file their FAFSAs and get financial aid.

Free FAFSA Help for Your Students and Their Families

FAME is offering FAFSA Help Sessions. These sessions are being offered both in-person and virtually via Zoom. We’ll provide a short FAFSA overview and then provide personalized one-on-one help to get the FAFSA done.

Answers to Your Students’ Most-Asked FAFSA Questions

Students and parents often have just a question or two preventing them from filing the FAFSA and once they have the answer(s), they are on their way. We’ve put together this FAQ for the 2023-2024 FAFSA to help you help your students!

Track Your Students’ FAFSA Filing Using FAME’s FAFSA Portal

FAME’s FAFSA Portal allows eligible high school counselors to access the FAFSA completion status for each of their high school seniors, and also identify which filers have been selected for verification. For more information, please contact Mila Tappan.

Download a Word document of scripts to use when doing FAFSA follow-up with your students.

Thermometer Poster (download PDF): Hang it in your school and track your school’s FAFSA completion percentage and encourage students to file.

FAFSA Completion Rates by High School
School NameClass of 2020 as of May 1, 2020Class of 2021 as of May 1, 2021Class of 2022 as of May 1, 2022Class of 2023 as of March 12, 2023
Statewide Average57.04%52.41%52.60%52.06%
Ashland District School 84.21%82.61%66.67%72.22%
Bangor High School 51.91%49.34%54.29%54.51%
Baxter Academy for Technology & Science 59.34%57.43%63.22%57.47%
Belfast Area High School 59.63%58.27%53.00%69.05%
Biddeford High School 44.23%39.77%39.71%46.51%
Blue Hill Harbor School 50.00%18.18%18.75%12.50%
Bonny Eagle High School 44.06%41.53%46.07%47.16%
Boothbay Region High School 55.56%48.15%64.10%54.55%
Brewer High School 59.01%50.58%48.54%63.83%
Brunswick High School 57.99%64.41%51.50%53.99%
Buckfield Jr-Sr High School 51.52%35.90%40.63%37.50%
Bucksport High School 67.57%56.32%48.98%59.76%
Calais Middle/High School 61.82%62.96%43.55%43.28%
Camden Hills Regional High School 68.89%56.38%69.05%62.05%
Cape Elizabeth High School 71.54%72.39%67.81%68.64%
Caribou High School 57.58%60.32%43.62%47.62%
Carrabec High School 64.58%53.49%39.62%45.83%
Casco Bay High School 64.36%62.75%71.58%74.23%
Central Aroostook Jr-Sr High School 64.52%67.50%54.17%70.97%
Central High School 54.24%50.00%34.72%52.00%
Community Downtown CampusN/A35.29%24.00%12.50%
Cony High School 53.47%40.00%46.15%50.32%
Deer Isle-Stonington High School 38.46%57.69%57.14%83.33%
Deering High School 58.37%51.07%47.76%36.96%
Dexter Regional High School 30.26%43.08%44.44%43.08%
Dirigo High School 46.94%43.33%40.91%35.09%
East Grand School 100.00%77.78%33.33%42.86%
Easton Junior-Senior High School 66.67%66.67%76.47%76.92%
Ecology Learning CenterN/AN/AN/A50.00%
Edward Little High School 47.37%46.54%48.84%41.81%
Ellsworth High School 59.68%55.65%60.16%54.26%
Erskine Academy 64.00%63.91%47.01%64.57%
Falmouth High School 69.36%64.20%62.42%59.52%
Forest Hills Consolidated School 60.00%75.00%44.44%66.67%
Fort Fairfield Middle/High School 64.71%56.67%70.37%38.89%
Fort Kent Community High School 61.67%50.00%69.84%63.16%
Foxcroft Academy 55.17%50.00%51.35%47.83%
Freeport High School 64.39%58.62%61.64%61.43%
Fryeburg Academy 66.30%55.56%64.15%55.86%
Gardiner Area High School 61.03%42.41%46.98%48.15%
George Stevens Academy 59.09%65.28%61.54%55.00%
Gorham High School 75.24%66.98%66.95%61.86%
Gray-New Gloucester High School 60.81%53.38%55.47%50.36%
Greely High School 69.18%68.07%73.38%69.08%
Greenville Consolidated School 80.00%63.64%69.23%66.67%
Hall-Dale Middle/High School 52.56%48.33%50.65%57.63%
Hampden Academy 61.58%61.26%61.08%58.33%
Harpswell Coastal Academy25.81%7.14%15.63%14.81%
Hermon High School 53.33%50.00%53.85%55.24%
Hodgdon High School 64.71%56.76%40.63%46.88%
Houlton High School 64.44%42.71%50.00%53.42%
Islesboro Central School 100.00%76.92%80.00%71.43%
John Bapst Memorial High School 82.22%84.95%81.82%81.25%
Jonesport-Beals High School 80.95%73.68%76.47%57.89%
Katahdin Middle/High School 50.00%66.67%73.33%71.43%
Kennebunk High School 64.36%62.38%67.63%56.59%
Lake Region High School 42.86%54.62%44.76%43.80%
Lawrence High School 45.45%44.30%38.36%47.62%
Leavitt Area High School 53.33%58.45%57.14%53.13%
Lee Academy 28.13%36.36%44.44%34.38%
Lewiston High School 39.26%32.16%36.71%34.86%
Lincoln Academy 52.10%53.27%56.06%52.99%
Lisbon High School 55.29%38.96%63.77%49.46%
Machias Memorial High School 66.67%60.00%52.94%58.97%
Madawaska Middle/High School 92.31%82.35%64.52%77.42%
Madison Area Memorial High School 66.67%42.31%59.18%39.58%
Maine Academy of Natural Sciences 17.91%12.96%20.00%22.22%
Maine Arts Academy45.00%26.47%21.62%38.10%
Maine Central Institute 59.76%58.46%56.16%49.09%
Maine Connections Academy 39.66%32.31%25.71%25.81%
Maine School of Science & Mathematics 100.00%85.71%84.00%84.85%
Maine Virtual Academy 15.38%25.35%22.62%37.36%
Maranacook Community High School 67.50%69.05%51.58%56.41%
Marshwood High School 66.88%59.52%53.74%65.99%
Massabesic High School 46.26%38.96%42.38%37.20%
Mattanawcook Academy 61.63%37.50%50.00%50.68%
Medomak Valley High School 46.05%42.74%46.77%38.21%
Messalonskee High School 58.57%54.97%54.71%50.88%
Monmouth Academy 78.72%69.39%56.25%58.70%
Morse High School 66.41%54.66%58.82%61.18%
Mountain Valley High School 40.66%42.22%28.16%41.79%
Mt Abram Regional High School 57.14%59.18%56.52%48.98%
Mt Ararat High School 55.17%47.75%58.95%48.33%
Mt Blue High School 54.75%52.29%48.37%46.91%
Mt Desert Island High School 73.39%60.28%69.23%63.08%
Mt View High School 43.48%58.75%54.29%58.44%
Narraguagus High School 59.09%42.86%36.36%60.00%
Noble High School 56.03%42.52%41.98%38.18%
Nokomis Regional High School 51.52%41.13%44.94%39.24%
North Haven Community School 33.33%100.00%100.00%66.67%
Oak Hill High School 60.40%39.47%55.00%47.19%
Oceanside High School East 48.35%51.45%42.06%39.05%
Old Orchard Beach High School 43.18%53.97%47.50%36.73%
Old Town High School 57.48%56.00%59.68%57.26%
Orono High School 68.29%62.16%76.32%60.00%
Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School 49.18%45.39%39.13%42.91%
Penobscot Valley High School 60.00%63.89%43.24%53.33%
Penquis Valley High School 43.75%45.10%12.50%34.69%
Piscataquis Community High School 42.22%47.37%52.00%33.33%
Poland Regional High School 58.59%52.34%54.95%49.63%
Portland High School 63.21%64.65%62.67%58.20%
Presque Isle High School 64.93%53.23%50.43%55.00%
Rangeley Lakes Regional School 78.57%41.18%73.33%57.14%
Richmond High School 51.22%54.29%35.48%50.00%
Robert W Traip Academy 54.29%50.72%66.67%57.14%
Sacopee Valley High School 57.14%47.54%43.75%54.29%
Sanford High School 41.11%43.55%39.64%40.08%
Scarborough High School 69.57%68.29%69.71%63.11%
Schenck High School 51.72%57.14%57.69%68.42%
Searsport District High School 57.50%50.00%66.67%48.72%
Shead High School 52.38%50.00%53.33%47.83%
Skowhegan Area High School 51.22%42.19%44.74%46.70%
So Aroostook School 80.00%58.06%39.29%50.00%
South Portland High School 59.73%52.81%55.02%47.11%
Spruce Mountain High School 54.95%44.87%36.71%50.54%
Stearns Jr-Sr High School 70.00%38.64%64.29%54.84%
Sumner Memorial High School 54.35%37.78%51.02%50.00%
Telstar High School 67.50%46.34%39.02%43.48%
Thornton Academy 62.62%60.12%60.82%60.75%
Upper Kennebec Valley Middle/Senior High School 47.06%50.00%44.44%15.38%
Van Buren District Secondary School 62.50%68.75%68.75%75.00%
Vinalhaven School 81.82%44.44%21.43%55.56%
Washburn District High School 50.00%62.50%46.43%44.00%
Washington Academy 57.75%67.05%63.64%55.41%
Waterville Senior High School 57.85%42.97%55.75%57.26%
Wells High School 72.66%62.79%66.00%57.80%
Westbrook High School 54.19%54.19%49.70%47.27%
Windham High School 55.66%58.12%51.32%59.36%
Winslow High School 61.48%75.61%67.65%63.64%
Winthrop High School 62.30%79.25%70.00%69.09%
Wiscasset Middle High School 50.00%60.98%48.48%31.25%
Wisdom Middle High School 73.68%70.00%68.42%70.00%
Woodland Jr-Sr High School 80.00%75.00%66.67%32.26%
Yarmouth High School 69.81%68.92%64.89%58.52%
York High School 74.14%67.48%67.13%66.94%
Tools to Promote FAFSA Completion at Your School
  • FAFSA Poster: Hang a FAFSA poster in your school or post it to your website.
  • Postcards: Mail, hand out, or electronically send postcards to students.
  • Phone, email, text, PA, and web scripts so you can call, email or text families using your communications systems or make a PA announcement during school. Download a Word document of all scripts:
Do-it-Yourself Tools to Share with Families

Many Maine families choose to tackle the FAFSA on their own. Here are some tools to help them get through the process:

  • FAFSA Handouts: Download and share FAME’s most used FAFSA handouts from the Resources and Tools page.
  • Videos: Share one (or several) of our short, animated videos on the financial aid process with your students and their parents.
Tools to Help Your Students and Families with Their Financial Aid Appeals

Students and families who have had a change in circumstance or a situation that impacts their ability to pay for college should contact their financial aid office. We created an Overview of Financial Aid Appeals to help guide your conversations with students and families. Additionally, we ask that you share Steps to Appeal a Financial Aid Offer with students and families to help them appeal their financial aid offer.

Encourage Your Students to Connect with FAME

FAME shares information about the FAFSA on social media and by email and text. Encourage your students to connect directly with FAME by following us on social media or joining our mailing list.

Share this link with your students to sign up to get texts and emails from FAME:

Financial Education Resources

FAME knows that one of the best ways to benefit Maine people and our future economy is to ensure that Maine citizens have the resources and knowledge to lead financially capable lives. Financially capable citizens lead to a financially stable Maine.

FAME has pulled together some financial education resources that can help students of all ages.

Elementary School

FAME’s Cash and Max characters introduce elementary students to three key concepts: career exploration, education after high school, and money management.

Middle School

Claim Your Future® is a classroom game that was created for middle school students to encourage them to explore education after high school, future careers, and money management. By playing the game, students will understand the strong connection between the choices they make today and their opportunities in the future. They will also learn that higher education generally leads to more career options and higher-paying jobs.

  • Contact FAME to schedule a Claim Your Future session at your school conducted by FAME’s College Access and Financial Education Team.
High School

Online Financial Wellness, powered by FAME and iGrad, provides online financial education to empower Maine people to confidently manage their money and build financial skills for life. Popular features include:

  • Financial wellness assessment
  • Interactive money management courses
  • Calculators, tools, videos and infographics
  • Scholarship search tool

Find Maine-based financial literacy tools and more at the Maine DOE website.

Claim Your Future®

Created by FAME, Claim Your Future® is a game that encourages students to explore education after high school, future careers, and money management. Since its launch in 2015, Claim Your Future has been played in over 90 countries, and thousands of students representing every state in the United States have played online.

Claim Your Future can be played using the hand-held game kit, or online. The program is flexible and can be played with a wide range of audiences from elementary-age students, through middle school, high school and beyond. It can be used as a one-time classroom activity, an after-school activity, or as part of a larger unit on careers, higher education, and money management.

FAME has made Claim Your Future® available free of charge to all Maine schools or nonprofit educational organizations.

Claim Your Future Kit

When the game is played in the classroom, students are each assigned a unique game wheel, representing a specific career, education level and monthly salary. Educators are encouraged to discuss various career and college options and to lead students through a monthly budget activity. Educators can order game kits at FAME.ClaimYourFuture.org.

What you’ll find in the classroom game kit:

  • 50 unique wheels representing various careers
  • 100 student reward stickers
Claim Your Future Online

FAME.ClaimYourFuture.org allows students to choose a career and navigate through different spending choices. They will find descriptions of academic degrees, careers, key vocabulary and various spending options. Students can see a visual representation of how much money they’ve spent as they progress through the game.

Website features:

  • 125 unique careers, along with descriptions and key vocabulary
  • A printable budget worksheet
  • Additional financial education resources
  • An Educator’s Guide, which includes budget worksheets, a detailed lesson plan, homework activities and additional resources

Email Newsletters

FAME’s “Tuesday Tips” are emailed every month to anyone who has signed up to receive education news updates from FAME.

February 2023 – Five Resources for New Mainers

January 2023 – Five Questions and Answers about Your Financial Aid Offers

December 2022 – Five Important Updates on Federal Student Loans

November 2022 – Five Tips for Getting a Head Start on Scholarship Applications

October 2022 – Five Tips for Filing the 2023-2024 FAFSA

September 2022 – Five FAFSA Myths Busted

August 2022 – Five Newest Members of the FAME Team!

July 2022 – Five FAQs on Free Community College

Select Previous Emails

Five Great Summer Job Opportunities for Students (June 2022)

Five Facts About Assets, Savings, and Financial Aid (May 2022)

Five Steps to Take Before Borrowing a Student Loan (April 2022)

Five Things to Consider When Starting (or Restarting) Education after High School (March 2022)

Five Tips to Pay the Remaining Balance After Financial Aid (February 2022)

Five Tips for Submitting Prize-Winning Scholarship Applications (November 2021)

Five Tips for The Path to Affording Higher Education (September 2021)

Five Tips for a Smooth Transition to College (June 2021)

Five Fun Financial Wellness Tools and Games—All Online! (April 2021)

Five Upcoming Changes as a Result of FAFSA Simplification (March 2021)
UPDATE: Since this email was sent, the date for implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act has been revised. Changes to the FAFSA will be rolled out with the 2024-2025 FAFSA, which will become available on October 1, 2023.

Education Mailing List Signup


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