Will the FAFSA Changes Affect You?

College students and their parents are accustomed to filling out the yearly Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is usually a pretty straightforward, if not drawn-out, process. But in today’s society students have many different types of home living arrangements which can cause problems when completing these forms. Trying to answer the seemingly-simple question of “who is my parent?” can become a matter of splitting regulatory hairs. Questions about stepparents, adoptive parents and parents in same sex marriages cloud the information students can supply and may affect their... Read The Rest →

#CollegeCash Summary with College Abacus

Our guest for CollegeCash was  College Abacus, we had a great twitter conversation about college cost in the United States. Abacus is  free  service parents, students and counselors , that helps  compare  projected college financial aid packages across schools and to identify schools within families  budgets.   [View the story "CollegeCash Summary with College Abacus" on Storify] Share → Tweet

Completing the Verification Process

After completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) you may be selected for a process called verification, which helps to insure the accuracy of certain information you submitted. Verification may be requested by the United States Department of Education (DOE) or one of the schools to which you are applying. Some schools randomly select applications for verification while others may choose to verify a certain percentage, or even all, of their applications. Usually, though, there are certain reasons which may flag your FAFSA for further review:   •... Read The Rest →

Tips For Completing Missing Documents

Once your online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is complete, your Student Aid Report (SAR) will go to the colleges indicated on your application. You must stay involved in this process because you may receive a Missing Information notice at the email address you provided. If you did not provide an email address, these requests will be sent by mail. Some of these requests might include: FAFSA: You could have forgotten to enter a school’s code or entered it incorrectly on your FAFSA. You can go to the... Read The Rest →

Your Guide to Your Financial Aid Award Letter

You have been making great progress and now your college dreams are closer than ever. You have applied to and been accepted by several colleges, correctly completed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and received and carefully reviewed your Student Aid Report (SAR). Your SAR will have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) listed, although this is not necessarily the amount of money your family will have to pay. It is a starting point for the colleges to begin the financial aid award process. The next step on your... Read The Rest →

What is the SAR Report?

The SAR (Student Aid Report) is generated by the office of Federal Student Aid at the U.S. Department of Education based on information you provided in your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Depending on their workload, you should usually receive your SAR anywhere from three days to three weeks after you have submitted your application. Be sure to watch your email if you have provided an email address. Or you can also login at FAFSA on the Web to view your SAR information. The SAR will contain information... Read The Rest →

You’ve Finished Your FAFSA – Now What?

Congratulations – you finally sat down, went online, and completed your FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – to determine your eligibility for college financial aid. Now what? The Federal Student Aid website has a lot of information on what happens next, but here is a quick summary: Processing: The Department of Education will process your FAFSA and determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) based on their Need Analysis Methodology and review of your information. Once this processing is complete, you will receive an email notification. You can... Read The Rest →

What Do You Need On-Hand to Complete the FAFSA?

It’s February and you have finally decided to sit down to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You know this form is crucial to determining your eligibility for financial aid, but have been putting this off because you are afraid of becoming overwhelmed or are concerned that you will complete it incorrectly. Before you begin you need to determine whether you are dependent or independent when it comes to income. Independent students can fill out this form using their own financial information; dependent students also need to... Read The Rest →

Why Should You File a FAFSA If You Know You Won’t Qualify?

The FAFSA forms for the 2013-2014 school year came out a few weeks ago and all across America great cries of protest were heard as students and parents alike started coming up with excuses for why they shouldn’t have to complete these dastardly forms. Everyone already “knows” that they won’t qualify so it hardly seems worth the effort to submit a form that just confirms that knowledge. With all these people thinking they don’t qualify, it’s surprising the government is able to find students who are eligible for the over... Read The Rest →

What Is The FAFSA and Why Should You Care?

FAFSA – the name sounds funny, like they should do some FAFSA parody on late night comedy shows. But, if you need help paying for college, FAFSA is one of the most serious things you will do. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. According to Federal Student Aid, “Completing the FAFSA is the first step toward getting federal aid for college, career school, or graduate school.” There are over $150 billion in grants, loans, and work-study funds available annually, but you can’t access any of that unless... Read The Rest →

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