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
College students are paying less for class materials, thanks in part to the success of OpenStax – an organization that provides free textbooks and digital resources.
The nonprofit, started six years ago by Rice University (TX), serves more than 2.2 million students, according to a recent article in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Nearly half of all US colleges currently use the service, which offers 29 free textbooks for college and Advanced Placement classes.
And for the first time in five decades, average textbook costs are decreasing, according to recent data analyzed by the National Center of Education Statistics.
Continue reading Textbook Costs Dropping Thanks to Digital Resources
Editor’s note: A version of this post was originally published on Admitted in March 2016. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.
Getting into college is only half the battle for teens living in poverty.
To prove eligibility for financial aid, many colleges ask low-income students to submit a mountain of paperwork — going beyond what is required of their middle- and upper-income peers, NACAC member Joshua Steckel wrote in a 2016 opinion column published by The Boston Globe.
The process is burdensome, he noted. Worst of all, it can discourage talented students from accessing the financial support they need to attend college.
Continue reading Counselor: Financial Aid Process Burdens Low-Income Students
Planning how to finance a four-year degree has become a more prominent part of the college application process.
A new e-learning course from NACAC is now available to help college counselors and admission officers confidently field financial aid questions from families.
More than just a webinar or educational session, the online course—Financial Aid 101— includes eight easy-to-use learning modules packed with information on subjects like loans, grants, scholarships, and work-study. Informative graphics and videos break down key concepts, while quizzes help you measure your progress.
Continue reading New from NACAC: Financial Aid 101 E-Learning Course
The net price of attending college continued to rise in 2017-18, while growth in grant aid slowed, national data shows.
The findings are highlighted in two reports — Trends in Student Aid and Trends in College Pricing — released last month by The College Board.
Continue reading Report: Grant Aid Fails to Keep Up with Rising College Costs
The majority of US parents expect their children to attend college, but most neglect to budget for the costs associated with higher education, national survey data shows.
“Despite the wide array of approaches families might take to build a plan to pay for college, most don’t have a plan,” according to this year’s How America Pays for College study. “Although nearly nine in 10 families have anticipated their child’s college attendance since preschool, fewer than half that many agree they had a plan to pay for all years of college before the student enrolled.”
Continue reading Study: Majority of Families Neglect to Plan for College Costs