College preparation

School supplies on desk against library shelf

Mapping Your Future offers a variety of financial literacy tools

By Marlene Seeklander During Financial Literacy Month in April, Mapping Your Future encourages you to use its financial literacy tools and share the tools and resources with your students: Contact the Mapping Your Future staff at feedback@mappingyourfuture.org or (800) 374-4072 with any questions.

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Dark blue folder with FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid on the front

Knowing the code could be an important key to financial aid

By Catherine Mueller Although every school or college has its own unique identity, sometimes its name can be similar to another institution. For that reason, in addition to the names, there is also a not-so-secret code for schools, and it’s a good idea to know how to find out these school codes before you apply for

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A checklist of applications to complete for your college education

By Catherine Mueller By the first day of college classes, a student has completed a lot of paperwork to begin their educational journey. Completing the necessary applications and forms for a college education is an accomplishment in and of itself — even before you step on campus. Although the paperwork can seem overwhelming, it’s often much

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Wooden tile spelling out FAFSA

2025-26 FAFSA reminder campaign underway

By Marlene Seeklander Most of us need a nudge every once in a while, a little reminder to do something important like, maybe, completing the FAFSA. Students who completed FAFSAs in the last couple of years are receiving reminders from the Department of Education that the 2025-26 FAFSA is ready for them to complete. And the

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Magnifying glass with FAFSA being magnified

Six things to check on your FAFSA Submission Summary

By Catherine Mueller After successfully completing your FAFSA, you should celebrate your accomplishment. However, don’t celebrate so much that you forget you will have other tasks to complete. One of those tasks is to review your FAFSA Submission Summary. One to three days after a student submits a 2025-26 FAFSA (and provided a valid email address),

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Computer keyboard with FAFSA button

Understanding your FAFSA status

By Catherine Mueller It’s no longer just a matter of “done” or “not done” when considering the status of your financial aid application. It’s important to understand the different status updates to determine if you need to take any action. When you log in to your account at StudentAid.gov, the status of your application will be one

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FAFSA Question 11 updated

By Marlene Seeklander Students and families will want to take note of a recent update to one of the FAFSA questions. The Department of Education announced an update made to the FAFSA to comply with President Trump’s Executive Order, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. The update to

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Cute student girl taking notes with a pen and smiling

A key strategy for choosing the right college for you

By Catherine Mueller It’s always nice to have options. But sometimes too many options can be overwhelming – especially when you’re making an important life decision such as where to go to college. If you are considering 2, 5, or even 10 colleges and having a hard time deciding, maybe it’s time to change your thinking. Changing

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Dad and teenage son working on laptop

Determining the parent for the 2025-26 FAFSA

By Marlene Seeklander For some students, one of the most challenging parts of the FAFSA is knowing which parent to invite to the FAFSA. The Department of Education has the parent wizard tool available outside of the FAFSA form, making it easier for students, families, and others to make this determination ahead of time. In addition, Mapping Your

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