From not getting an FSA ID before filling out the FAFSA to forgetting to sign the form — it’s easy to make missteps when applying for federal financial aid.
But the US Department of Education wants to help students avoid the most common mistakes.
Continue reading Tips to Help Families Avoid Common FAFSA Errors
Need financial aid for the 2019-20 academic year?
The US Department of Education is reminding students to remain cognizant of deadlines when completing the FAFSA.
While the form is primarily used to award federal financial aid, many states also use the FAFSA to assess eligibility for their aid programs — and some of those deadlines are on the horizon.
In many homes, filling out the FAFSA is a family affair.
Although students are always encouraged to take the lead when it comes to applying to colleges, they are often required to work in conjunction with their parents or guardians to provide information about their family’s income and other factors when seeking financial aid.
With that in mind, the US Department of Education recently published a blog post with tips to help families navigate the FAFSA process.
The amount students are borrowing for college continues to drop, according to a report released last month by the College Board.
This decline marks the seventh year in a row that students have opted to borrow less for higher education.
Continue reading College Borrowing Drops for 7th Consecutive Year
Though movies and television make it seem like a full-ride scholarship will be readily available for nearly every student, reality is starkly different.
Continue reading By the Numbers: Student Scholarship Chances
Most high school students and their parents are unaware of the actual cost of college, according to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics. And when they do hazard a guess as to how much it will take to enroll, they often overestimate the price of higher education.
“There may be serious consequences to being uninformed and unsure about college costs and financial aid,” according to the report. “For example, uncertainty about college costs and the availability of financial aid has been associated with underenrollment among low-income and minority students.”
The study looked at students’ perceptions of tuition and fees at a public, four-year college in their state. The findings suggest teens need earlier and better information related to college costs.
Continue reading Report: Students Confused About College Costs
Students now have another avenue to file for federal aid. Thanks to a new mobile app, they can use their smartphones to fill out the FAFSA.
Department of Education officials and college access workers hope the new platform — called myStudentAid — will make it easier for more students to access money for college.
Undocumented students in New Jersey now have access to state financial aid.
The new law went into effect last month and media reports cite anecdotal evidence that newly eligible students are taking advantage of the benefit.
Continue reading New Jersey Becomes 10th State to Offer Financial Aid to Undocumented Students
A mobile-friendly version of the FAFSA website went live this week, the first step in a months-long process aimed at making it possible for students to apply for financial aid using their smartphones.
A beta version of a companion app — myStudentAid — is planned for next month, with the complete version available Oct. 1.
A little over half of all students who were eligible for the Pell Grant were selected for verification in 2015-16.
The procedure, which requires students to submit additional paperwork to prove their income, inserts an extra step into the financial aid process. And in an op-ed published by The Hill this week, Justin Draeger—president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators—voiced concerns that verification keeps some students from attending college.
Continue reading ‘Verification Melt’ Keeps Students from College Dreams
