Students seeking financial aid from the government to go to college can apply for free online — that is, if they make sure they’re actually on the federal site, and not one that’s really close and charges a fee.

WBZ-TV calls attention to the site FASFA.com, which is just so close to FAFSA.gov, and will take $79.99 from loan seekers to help them apply for federal student aid.

As a financial advisor for a non-profit organization that helps students with financial challenges of college tells the station, “The reason why the federal government makes it free is because most of our students don’t have the funds to pay.”

Some students discovered the difference the hard way, including one instance where an application never reached the government. By that time, it was after the FAFSA deadline.

The site does say it’s not related to the US Department of Education and provides a link to the free application site, and they claim they’re being transparent about what they do for students. So that misleading name for their site must just be a coincidence.

Students Warned About Site That Charges For Financial Aid Application [WBZ-TV]

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