FAFSA Form & Financial Aid Form Blog

Federal Aid for Students “Without Need”

Evan Jacobs — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:09:23 +0000

In my experience as a former college student, and seeing the individual cases of friends and peers going through the financial aid process, I saw that in some cases, the FAFSA doesn’t always tell a clear picture of a student’s financial situation. Often, parents’ income will dilute the amount of aid that a student would [...]

You have completed your FAFSA – now what?

Justin Rebello — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:45:52 +0000

Hopefully by now you have sent in your FAFSA form, and you are probably wondering, what do I do now?

Pell Grants, in Plain English

Evan Jacobs — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:11:45 +0000

The Pell Grant is an excellent award set up for financially needy students to help afford the cost of college.

Federal Parent PLUS Loans, in Plain English

Evan Jacobs — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:38:39 +0000

The Parent PLUS Loan, a lending option through the federal government for students, is one of the less understood and often forgotten funding methods for education. What is a PLUS loan? The Parent PLUS Loan is a lending program designed differently than other federal loans to cover more expenses than Stafford or Perkins loans, up to [...]

Reminder: File Your FAFSA!

Evan Jacobs — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:39:59 +0000

Hey guys and gals – this is a friendly reminder that you likely have a week or two left to file your FAFSA to receive maximum aid from both the government and your chosen school. For a more accurate date, head over to your school’s financial aid department either online and/or in person, and ask [...]

FAFSA and your dependency status

Justin Rebello — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:34:14 +0000

Filling out your FAFSA form at the time same time as your taxes? Whether or not you file as an independent is not necessarily the same as you might file on your taxes.

Stafford Loans, in Plain English

Evan Jacobs — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:57:04 +0000

Now that it’s FAFSA time, I thought that the second installment of this blog should focus on a piece of federal aid that many students receive as part of their award: the federal Stafford loan. Read on to find answers to questions like: “What is it?”, “What does it do for me?”, and “What is [...]

Federal Work Study, in Plain English

Evan Jacobs — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:56:12 +0000

Well, it’s that time of the year again; time to file your taxes, FAFSA, and other paperwork goodies to your respective school(s). I have received a lot of questions about how different student programs work, and decided to start this “… in Plain English” blog series to address them and simplify the entire experience for [...]

FAFSA and You

Evan Jacobs — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:07:59 +0000

To open, I’d like to ask a simple question: Have you filed your FAFSA yet? If no, you should know that the FAFSA is one of the most valuable financial aid tools in a student’s arsenal (besides scholarships and grants, which are the best) because it shows the government and your school that you need [...]

Paying for College: The Financial Aid Puzzle

Kristin Morris — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:49:50 +0000

The cost of a college education is rising every year. This year the average cost of a private four-year school was $26,273, up 4.4% from last year, and the average cost of a public school was $7,020, up 6.5% from last year. For most families, paying for college is a struggle. If you feel like you do not have all the pieces of the financial aid puzzle, you are not alone.