RICHMOND, Va. (AP/WAVY) — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam says the state is offering free help to students and their families to apply for college financial aid.

Northam’s office said in a statement Monday that the coronavirus pandemic has lead to a decline in completion rates of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

Students and families can go to virginiacan.org/fafsa to schedule a virtual meeting until June 30. The one-on-one advising service will be free for all seeking it.

Virginia has seen 4,300 fewer high school seniors complete the FAFSA. That’s a drop of nearly 10 percent compared to last year.

The decline also mirrors the nine percent drop in FAFSA completion rates across the country.

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