By Catherine Mueller Students should apply for as many scholarships as possible. That’s good advice, but with that advice in mind, students should prioritize some scholarships and maybe avoid some scholarships altogether. In general, you should apply for those scholarships that are a good fit and not apply to any scholarships that seem questionable. To determine […]
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By Catherine Mueller Students interested in gaining leadership skills and money for college may want to consider the AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), one of AmeriCorps’ most established programs, provides young adults ages 18 – 26 with the opportunity to serve in a full-time, paid, 10 –11-month national service opportunity. Another option is
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By Marlene Seeklander Students and parents setting up an FSA ID find it easy to do so, but there are some important tips to avoid account problems in the future. Setting up an FSA ID (also known as creating a StudentAid.gov account) is the first step to complete the FAFSA. To assist students and parents with
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By Catherine Mueller Creating a StudentAid.gov account isn’t difficult but sometimes a few tips will make the process easier. Setting up an account at StudentAid.gov, is also known as creating an FSA ID, which is the username and password for the account. Students and generally at least one parent will need to create one in order to
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By Marlene Seeklander Students who plan to attend a South Dakota public university may soon need to meet a new civics proficiency requirement to graduate. At the December South Dakota Board of Regents meeting, an initiative was announced to ensure that students are prepared to actively participate in civic life once they graduate. This new initiative,
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By Marlene Seeklander Students and families needing FAFSA assistance now have more opportunities available to contact the FAFSA Call Center. The FAFSA Call Center is offering expanded hours, including evenings and weekends, which started November 22 and extend through March 2, 2025. In addition, English and Spanish speaking agents are available, as well as interpretation services in
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By Catherine Mueller While several steps have been taken to simplify the FAFSA, students and parents often still have questions about calculating the value of assets. To help students and parents understand and be prepared to answer the asset questions, here are some things to know: To determine the value of an investment, the student or
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By Marlene Seeklander Students and parents wanting to know about the FAFSA or who need to create a StudentAid.gov account will want to watch the latest videos from Mapping Your Future. The “2025-26 FAFSA and Financial Aid” presentation and “Creating a StudentAid.gov Account” (setting up an FSA ID) videos are now available on the Mapping Your
By Marlene Seeklander Colleges often have priority deadlines for the FAFSA to help determine who to consider for certain financial aid programs. Please note: Some institutions may adjust their priority deadlines for 2025-26 due to the delay in the release of the FAFSA. If you have a question about priority deadlines or a suggestion for this
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By Marlene Seeklander Students and parents wanting to know about the FAFSA will want to watch the latest video from Mapping Your Future. The 2025-26 FAFSA and Financial Aid presentation is now available on the Mapping Your Future YouTube channel. In the presentation, Cathy Mueller, Executive Director of Mapping Your Future, presents a high-level overview of
2025-2026 FAFSA presentation recording available from Mapping Your Future Read More »
