Paying for College

Piggy with graduation cap on money

Keys to a successful scholarship strategy topic of upcoming webinar

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By Marlene Seeklander When it comes to getting money for college, scholarships can be critical. Even a small scholarship could mean the difference between being able to continue postsecondary education or having to withdraw. Mapping Your Future’s “Four Components of a Successful Scholarship Strategy” webinar will address tips and techniques for applying for scholarships. The webinar […]

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Mapping Your Future offers a variety of financial literacy tools

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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

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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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Wooden tile spelling out FAFSA

2025-26 FAFSA reminder campaign underway

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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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Understanding Take-Home Pay

2025–26 award year COD System implementation

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By Marlene Seeklander Another important piece of the 2025-26 award year processing will soon be in place. The Department of Education announced that on March 23 they will implement the functionality to support Campus-Based programs and the processing of Pell Grant, TEACH, and Direct Loan awards for the 2025-26 award year in the Common Origination and

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Magnifying glass with FAFSA being magnified

Six things to check on your FAFSA Submission Summary

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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

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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

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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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School supplies on desk against library shelf

2026-27 FAFSA Specifications Guide released

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By Marlene Seeklander Although the 2026-27 academic year seems a long way into the future, financial aid professionals now have some tools available to help them prepare for it. The Department of Education announced the initial installment of the 2026–27 FAFSA Specifications Guide, which includes the Microsoft Excel version of the 2026­–27 Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) record

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This season’s lineup on the Mapping Your Future YouTube channel

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By Catherine Mueller An online video can sometimes be a lifesaver. Maybe you’re working late at night and can’t figure out the instructions on some project. Do an online search and, more than likely, you’ll find a video that solves your problem. Fortunately, for many students and parents, who often complete the FAFSA late at night

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