Early Awareness E-News January 2026Vol. 18 – Issue 1 Historic milestone reached in FAFSA completions More students completed the 2026-27 FAFSA as of late December – at a rate more than double the previous year, according to the Department of Education. Five steps to obtain proof of federal tax return non-filing At first the request […]
Early Awareness E-News – January 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander More students completed the 2026-27 FAFSA as of late December – at a rate more than double the previous year, according to the Department of Education. In a recent press release, the Department announced that more than 5 million 2026-27 FAFSA forms have been successfully submitted by students and families, an increase of
Historic milestone reached in FAFSA completions Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander At first the request seems like a paradox – you didn’t file a tax return, and the college financial aid office is asking you to prove something you didn’t do. While it may seem unusual to prove that you didn’t file a tax return, you may need to do just that and depending
Five steps to obtain proof of federal tax return non-filing Read More »
By Catherine Mueller With graduation just months away, now is the time for high school seniors to complete tasks for college and other life plans. This year is filled with admission applications, scholarship essays, financial aid information, and the need to meet deadlines. Throughout your senior year, continue to build your resume by achieving academic success,
January tasks for high school seniors Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander POET is offering scholarships to help students take that big step to pursuing their aspirations. POET, a South Dakota based company that has expanded across the Midwest, is awarding up to $75,000 in scholarships to students who are never satisfied with “good enough” and share POET’s mission to create a brighter future. The
POET offers “Never Satisfied Scholarships” Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid administrators often face a complex process for determining eligibility for mid-year transfer students. Mid-year transfer students – those who transfer from one school to another during the award year – understandably want to transfer their financial aid to their new school. However, the process of determining eligibility and packaging Title IV
FSA offers “Mid-year Transfer Students” learning track Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Scholarships are a wise investment in a student’s educational career – both for the organization granting the scholarship and the student applying for funds. For students, not only does a scholarship award look great on a resume, it can also reduce the amount of money a student has to borrow to pay for
Scholarship opportunities to help students pay for college Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Sure, sometimes high school students don’t want to invite their parents to something, but in the case of the FAFSA, most students need to invite their parents. Students completing the 2026-27 FAFSA (if they are determined to be dependent students) are asked to invite their parent or parents to contribute to the FAFSA. Students only need to
Contributing to a student’s FAFSA when the invite isn’t received Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Hopefully, your holiday “to do” list doesn’t include working on Christmas or New Year’s day, but if you need to, be aware that some Federal Student Aid offices are taking a break or will have modified hours. Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that their federal offices and Federal Student Aid processors and contact
Holiday hours for Federal Student Aid and Mapping Your Future Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Just when you think you have completed all the financial aid applications, your college financial aid office notifies you they need an IRS tax transcript. The request is part of the verification process – something that any postsecondary institution offering federal financial aid must do. College and university financial aid offices are
Why your college may ask for a tax transcript and how to get one Read More »
