By Catherine Mueller It’s a critical step and one that sometimes can be fraught with emotion. Determining which parent contributes to the FAFSA can create a challenge for students. And, for some, it’s better to determine which parent should contribute to the FAFSA before sitting down to complete the application. It will relieve some stress for […]
Who is my FAFSA parent? Read More »
Tip of the Week A hand-up for college Hardly anyone gets through college without help from someone else. That help often comes in the form of money to pay for college. And if it’s not money from parents or other relatives, it’s often scholarships that help students persist and graduate from college. With the upcoming
Tip of the Week – October 22, 2025 Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Students can now practice for the ACT with materials that match the latest version of the test. ACT recently released updated practice materials for the enhanced version of its test. The ACT Practice Resources Guide provides resources for counselors to prepare students for the test. The guide includes a full-length online practice test
ACT releases full-length practice version of enhanced test Read More »
Higher Ed News Vol. 17 – Issue 21 Resources to make completing the 2026-27 FAFSA even easier Completing the FAFSA usually isn’t difficult, especially if students and families are prepared. Department of Education releases guidance on the use of federal student aid data Schools, state agencies, and contractors all have a role in safeguarding student
Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – October 16, 2025 Read More »
By Catherine Mueller It’s hard to find an equilibrium. When it comes to Parent PLUS Loans, the ability of parents to borrow up to the cost of attendance minus any financial aid, meant students could attend any college where they were admitted. But it also meant parents were racking up tens of thousands if not hundreds
Borrowing Parent Loans – 2026 and beyond Read More »
By Catherine Mueller When it comes to paying for college, many students and parents face uncertainty. Will there be enough money and is this college the right decision? Along with those questions, throw in some future changes with the budget reconciliation bill and it could be enough to cause some students and parents to question any
Summary of Budget Reconciliation Changes for Students and Parents Read More »
Tip of the Week Happy Financial Aid Day Over time, I realized I had “been bitten by the financial aid bug.” This was a career field I wanted to continue in and advance myself. I’ve always said that people either like working in financial aid or they don’t. If they don’t, they move on to
Tip of the Week – October 15, 2025 Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Scholarships are the best kind of financial aid, but students should be careful to avoid scams. Because so many students are looking for scholarships, there are, unfortunately, a lot of bad actors that want to take advantage of these students. Therefore, it’s important to be careful and make sure the scholarship offer is
Tips for avoiding scholarship scams Read More »
Tip of the Week Resources to make completing the 2026-27 FAFSA even easier Completing the FAFSA usually isn’t difficult, especially if students and families are prepared. There are two important steps when preparing to complete the 2026-27 FAFSA: Setting up StudentAid.gov account (also known as creating an FSA ID) is the first step when completing
Tip of the Week – October 8, 2025 Read More »
Higher Ed News Vol. 17 – Issue 20 Department of Education issues reminder: Federal grant funds may not be used on lobbying activity Higher education officials may already know that federal grant funds cannot be used for lobbying efforts but just in case anyone didn’t know, the Department of Education sent out a reminder earlier
Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – October 2, 2025 Read More »
