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Ted Mitchell Higher ed institutions often use different terminology and guidelines when providing financialaidinformation. The “Paying for College Transparency Initiative” seeks to improve clarity, accuracy, and consistency of studentfinancialaid offers.
Education Department (ED) said it has discovered a calculation error in studentfinancialaid applications sent to colleges this month and will need to reprocess them, potentially continuing delays for college applications.
Aaron Fichtner, president of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, noted in an interview with NJ.com that the state has been generous in expanding studentfinancialaid programs.
For these students and their families, enrolling in school is the culmination of years of hard work and determination, and these students have much to celebrate. Department of Education’s Federal StudentAid office.
The 2025-26 Federal School Code (FSC) List of Participating Schools is now available as an online document and an integrated search function for applicants navigating the fafsa.gov website.
While some students have been able to navigate the new FAFSA within the ideal, reduced time-window of about 30 minutes, many other families encountered hiccups in the system, unable to send in paperwork due to unique familial circumstances or missing social security numbers for undocumented parents or students.
Assemblymember Marc Berman California state legislators are considering a bill designed to ensure that students who are parents can get the most out of their studentfinancialaid. AB 2458 would help student parents afford, enroll in, and successfully complete their higher education journey," said Berman.
For students preparing to apply for financialaid, the Free Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA) is a crucial part of the process. With recent changes to the FAFSA process, it’s important to stay informed about whats going on. Submit your application as soon as you can!
Gather Your Documents The FAFSA asks for a lot of personal and financial info, so it’s best to have everything ready before you start. The FAFSA will pull your tax information from the IRS, but it’s good to have other documents ready. Personal Information: This includes your name, address, SSN, and more.
Additional Costs Sometimes, your financialaid letter might not include all the expenses youll need to pay for, such as textbooks, transportation, or special fees. Make sure to account for these extra costs when evaluating your aid package. Schedule a 15 Minute Power Chat to learn more about finding ways to pay for college.
This confirmation will include a StudentAid Report (SAR) , which summarizes the information you provided on your FAFSA. Its important to review this report for any errors or missing information. The schools financialaid office will then use this information to create a financialaid package for you.
While loans, work-study, and grants are the main components of most financialaid packages, your award letter should include some other information. Understanding loans, work-study, and grants in your financialaid package is crucial to making informed decisions about paying for college.
The 2025-26 Federal School Code (FSC) List of Participating Schools is now available as an online document and an integrated search function for applicants navigating the fafsa.gov website.
The Southern Association of StudentFinancialAid Administrators (SASFAA) held their annual conference in Chattanooga from February 11th – 15th. As SASFAA paved the way for 60 years and will continue to do so for many years to come, the latest information and interesting insights were great to leave with.
This means you can compare not only the acceptance offers from multiple schools but also the financialaid packages that come with them. This timing is crucial for making a fully informed decision about which school fits your academic and financial needs.
The timing of your application—whether you choose Early Action or Regular Decision—can influence both the financialaid options available to you and your ability to make a fully informed decision. With Early Action, you may receive your admission decision in December, but financialaid offers often won’t arrive until later.
Here are a few reasons why: Changes in Your Financial Situation: If your family’s financial situation has changed due to factors like a job loss, medical expenses, or other hardships, you may be eligible for more aid. Schedule a 15 Minute Power Chat to learn more about finding ways to pay for college.
Colleges often send out different offers with varying amounts of financial support, and it can be tricky to figure out which one is the best deal for you. Heres a step-by-step guide to help you make an informed decision about your college financialaid package.
Prioritizing students. Financialaid administrators ultimately see themselves as championing the families they serve. Adding this information to the school website, along with personalized communications, can help families plan more effectively. Make financialaid processes more efficient.
Dont Forget About Your Colleges FinancialAid Office Each college has its own financialaid office that can help you understand what aid is available at their school. Be sure to reach out to these offices for information on scholarships, grants, and the application process.
This is especially helpful for students and families who want time to evaluate their financialaid packages from multiple schools before making a final decision. If you’re applying to schools that offer need-based financialaid, early action gives you time to weigh your options.
By the end of your visits, youll be well-equipped to make an informed decision on where to applyand where youll likely thrive. More about Jodi and College FinancialAid Advisors Jodi is a FAFSA financial advisor who helps with the financialaid process to help families of college students maximize their financialaid.
Attend an info session: Many colleges offer information sessions that give more in-depth details about admissions, financialaid, and campus life. Take notes and photos: Its easy to forget details after a few visits, so jot down your thoughts and take pictures of things you liked (or didnt like).
The 2024-25 Federal School Code (FSC) List of Participating Schools is now available as an online document and an integrated search function for applicants navigating the fafsa.gov website.
However, one tool that can make this journey smoother is often right at your student’s fingertips: the college portal. Your student’s ability to regularly monitor their college portal is essential to their application process, especially when it comes to staying updated and informed about financialaid tasks and deadlines.
EAB’s Kathy Ruby and Madeleine Rhyneer explore changes to FAFSA forms themselves and to how the federal government calculates eligibility for studentfinancialaid. Follow the podcast on Spotify , Google Podcasts , Apple Podcasts , SoundCloud and Stitcher or visit our podcast homepage for additional episodes.
Once you complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal StudentAid), you’ll receive a SAR or StudentAid Report. This document summarizes the information you submitted on your FAFSA. It’s important to review the SAR for any errors that could affect your financialaid package. What Is SAR?
With the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) (replacing the previous IRS Data Retrieval tool), a lot of information will be pulled from your family’s federal tax returns. Take your time, double-check your information, and don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it!
Gather Social Security numbers, driver’s license information, and income/investment information. They will be using the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange to gather information from your last tax return, but it won’t hurt to have the other information on hand.
Understanding these details will help you make informed decisions and avoid surprises down the road. Estimate Future Loan Payments Use loan calculators or online tools to estimate your student’s future loan payments based on the amount borrowed, interest rate, and repayment term.
Requirements: List the specific requirements for each scholarship, such as essays, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and financialinformation. Include important details such as: Deadline Dates: Note down the deadlines for each scholarship you plan to apply for.
FAFSA Overview The FAFSA is your gateway to federal financialaid, including grants, work-study programs, and loans. Nearly every college requires it, and it’s used to determine your family’s financial need. Now, you’ll get that information in the StudentAid Index.
Updates to the FAFSA Have Delayed College FinancialAid for Millions The Free Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA) has undergone some major updates for the 2024-2025 application cycle. Unfortunately, many families and students are wondering exactly where the FAFSA is.
Once that is in place, start gathering the following documents and information: Social Security Numbers for students and parents, or Alien Registration Numbers for non-U.S. Independent students will only have to provide their personal information, while dependent students will need to provide it for themselves and their parents.
Remember to review any payment requirements with your student so they know what they’re responsible for. Complete the FAFSA : Complete the Free Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA) as soon as possible. The information provided in the FAFSA determines eligibility for various types of aid, so don’t delay.
Provide accurate information about your family’s financial situation, including income, assets, and household size. If you’re struggling with the forms, consider asking a financialaid expert (like me!) Double-check for errors or missing information that could affect your eligibility for aid.
To help you understand the financialaid landscape and make informed decisions as a college-bound student (or with them as a parent), I’ve put together a glossary of the most common financialaid terms and their meanings. It also indicates a student’s eligibility for federal studentaid.
You’re likely to see scholarships and grants you will not have to repay, and student loans that you will have to repay. Make one last effort at increasing financialaid Remember, the colleges are looking at financialaidinformation from the last year.
During the application, families will give consent to the Department of Education to send their identifying information to the IRS, who will match up records and retrieve the necessary financialaidinformation for the FAFSA. Families must consent to be able to receive financialaid.
The studentfinancialaid system has always been complex. It remains unclear when actual FAFSA data will be provided by the ED to colleges so that they can determine who to admit and send offer letters with full financialaidinformation. With this year’s new FAFSA and its inept rollout by the U.S.
. --> 0 in 14 high-debt borrowers experienced suicidal ideation due to student loan debt. Source: Student Loan Planner Mental Health Survey 2021) --> Three strategies to enhance studentfinancial wellness and prepare students for loan repayment 1.
February is one of my favorite months of the year because it’s National FinancialAid Awareness Month. Throughout this month, all of us in the higher education community make an extra effort to provide even more information about how to use and access financialaid for college.
It’s calculated based on financialinformation provided in the FAFSA or CSS Profile and helps determine your eligibility for need-based aid. Here’s a few terms that might come up on the documents: Expected Family Contribution (EFC): This is the amount your family is expected to contribute toward your education costs.
Key Milestones for Scholarship Search Early High School: While not typically applying for scholarships at this stage, students can start exploring what scholarships are out there and begin to understand what might be required in the future. This is helpful to simply gather information and learn what options might exist.
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