By Catherine Mueller Congratulations on your graduation from high school! Like most high school graduates, you may be just now catching your breath after all the activity surrounding the end of the senior year. It’s a good time for you to relax and reflect on your accomplishments. But once you’ve had some time to consider all
June tasks for high school seniors Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Completing the FAFSA can make the difference when it comes to pursuing your dreams for the future. For many students, who couldn’t otherwise afford the cost of an education, the FAFSA makes it possible. If you haven’t completed the 2024-25 FAFSA, here are some reasons why you should: Because financial aid could be
Five reasons to complete the FAFSA Read More »
By Catherine Mueller As a part of the process to participate in federal financial aid programs, all postsecondary institutions must regularly renew their registration with the federal government. In a May 7 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education said an institution’s Unique Entity ID (UEI) must be verified in the General Services administration (GSA) System for Award Management
A reminder to confirm school identity registration with the federal government Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Many have predicted the problems with the 2024-25 FAFSA will have an impact on college enrollment this fall. A new research article out this week, however, provides new analysis on FAFSA completion data, enrollment projections, and recommended actions. A May 7 article, written by Katharine Meyer and published on the Brookings Institute website, suggests
By Catherine Mueller Only a portion of postsecondary institutions are likely impacted by the regulation, but for those that could be affected, compliance is important for continued Title IV funding. In a May 6 Electronic Announcement, The Department of Education reminded schools about the regulation, effective last July, that requires schools to notify them of a change
Schools required to notify Department about change in ownership Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Unfortunately, we are all the target of online scammers. Because of all the personal information being entered, students and parents need to be especially careful about what emails they open, what links they click on, and what websites they visit. Although it’s always been a problem, legitimate websites are being spoofed – sometimes
Reminder to check websites before entering personal information Read More »
Tip of the Week Taking wing With eyes bright, they are embarking on their maiden flight. Beginning this week, soon-to-be fully fledged college students are descending on college campuses across the country to attend summer orientation. For incoming freshmen, it is a beginning. But for many parents, it’s part of a journey that began long
Tip of the Week – May 29, 2024 Read More »
By Beth Ziehmer New student loan borrowers will be facing higher interest rates starting July 1. To help students know the upcoming July 1 interest rates, Mapping Your Future staff recently updated several references to interest rates. The new rates were announced in a May 14 Electronic Announcement. Updates were completed on the: Contact the Mapping Your
Interest rate information updated Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Even though a FAFSA belongs to a student, the student is usually not the only person with a role in completing it. To determine who, if anyone, should contribute to their FAFSA, a student should first determine if they are considered dependent or independent. The Department of Education provides a list of personal circumstances that
Questions to determine who needs to contribute to a student’s FAFSA Read More »
By Catherine Mueller For those financial aid professionals tracking some of the known technical issues with the processing of student FAFSA records, another couple of updates were added to the list this week. The Department on May 22 added two alerts to the Technical FAQ and Known Issues Guide. The guide, which the Department says is “to
Two new issues with student FAFSA data added to technical guide Read More »
