By Jennifer L. As college counselors, one of the most common questions we hear from students and families is, “Do I really need to complete the FAFSA?” The answer, almost always, is yes. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the key to unlocking financial assistance for college, including federal grants, work-study, and loans, and many colleges and states also use it to award their own aid. Who
For students applying to college, applying for financial aid can also be a complicated process. For some students in March, the process may have just become even more complicated. For the FAFSA, students used to have the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to help them easily fetch tax info to fill in required fields in the application. However, the IRS and Office of Federal Student Aid recently announced that the Data Retrieval
Are you a student in California? In addition to college applications, financial aid applications such as the FAFSA need to be finished and submitted before the deadlines. The FAFSA deadline for California is on March 2. Students in other states should also be careful of deadlines and can find tips that they need for the application from the official FAFSA site. (Source: FAFSA)
Currently applying for college? If so, you may be aware that the FAFSA has opened since the beginning of October this year. Don’t forget to watch out for these errors on the FAFSA! 1.Using the wrong website: The FAFSA website is fafsa.gov 2.Forgetting to get a FSA ID. A student and a student’s parent should each have an individual FSA ID. 3.Not listing more than 1 college on the FAFSA.
Applying to college this year? Students should also remember about applying for financial aid! For the FAFSA this year, there are 2 important facts every student should know to make sure their applications go smoothly: 1.The FAFSA will now open on October 1, 2016. 2.The FAFSA will accept earlier tax info from students and their families. 2015 tax info can be used for the 2017-18 FAFSA. More details on FAFSA
Besides changes to college application options, this year, some significant changes were also made to financial aid. For students applying for financial aid, they will be able to start on the FAFSA early in October. As a result, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to colleges to specifically request that schools not set earlier deadlines for financial aid. With all the news surrounding college applications and financial aid
For students who need financial aid for college, the FAFSA for 2016-17 is currently available. The U.S. Department of Education has released a useful list of steps on completing the FAFSA, along with reminders on any changes made to this year’s FAFSA application.
For students looking ahead to their financial aid applications, they should go over these FAFSA tips from the Huffington Post.
Since January has rolled around, the 2015 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) has become available for students to fill in to get financial aid for college. What are some typical questions students have about the FAFSA? I’ve never filled out the FAFSA before! How do I even begin? First, see if you have all the materials you need, such as your social security number and tax records. The
While seniors are scrutinizing every line of their UC application for accuracy, or blinking at their computer screens to revise the third draft of their essays, the deadlines for financial aid may seem distant from their mind. But once every application and essay has been submitted, students should turn their eyes towards financial aid applications. Even if students think they do not qualify for aid, California’s Middle Class Scholarship may
As summer winds down, students begin to trickle back onto their campuses and their dorms. For those who no longer have to deal with living in a triple room in the dorms, an off-campus space makes the new school year even more exciting. For students living off-campus, student loans may be able to help you meet your off-campus costs. The U.S. News has a few handy tips to offer regarding
Last week, Senator Lamar Alexander and Senator Michael F. Bennet announced a bill that could simplify the FAFSA process for students. How would they change the FAFSA? By cutting down 108 questions to 2 questions about family size and household income from two years ago. If the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) was simplified, the senators stated that families would be able to receive earlier information on a
IvyBoost Education hosted a free seminar about financial aid on Sunday, July 14. Counselor Mr. Tony Tang discussed many issues about financial aid with quite a few parents covering topics including cost of attendance, type of financial aid, EFC, 529 Plan, FAFSA, CSS Profile, Cal Grant and many more. Parents raised many questions and showed great concerns over the rising expenses of higher education and possible solutions. For more information, please contact
IvyBoost Education will host a series of free seminars about college application and planning from June to December 2013. The upcoming seminar is on Sunday, July 14, 2013 from 2:00pm to 3:30pm about financial aid. Parents and students will have the opportunity to understand and discuss cost of attendance, financial aid type, Expected Family Contribution, FAFSA, CSS Profile, Cal Grant and many more interesting and important topics. Please register online or call 510-656-6800
