Paying for College

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Government-issued identification may now be needed when completing the FAFSA

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By Catherine Mueller Some students are being asked to show their government-issued identification when completing the 2027-28 FAFSA. The request is a part of the Department of Education’s real-time fraud detection system, which is estimated to impact less than 4 percent of FAFSA filers. Before processing the FAFSA, the fraud detection system, implemented in April 2026,

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Federal report provides insight on 2025 college costs; recent tuition rate hikes and trends

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By Marlene Seeklander Students, families, and taxpayers now have easier access to information about college costs thanks to a new report released this week by the Department of Education. In an October 14 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education (the Department) announced the release of the 2025 College Affordability and Transparency Report (CATR), which is based

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2027-28 FAFSA resources now available

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By Marlene Seeklander Additional 2027-28 FAFSA resources are now available for staff training or financial aid presentations. Federal Student Aid announced the publication of several forms for the 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) award year. All forms are available in both English and Spanish and include the following:  2027-28 FAFSA Form (PDF format)

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2027-28 FAFSA Preview Presentation updated by Federal Student Aid

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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid and college access professionals will want to review the 2027-28 FAFSA Presentation for a recent updated scenario. An October 5 update to a September 3 Electronic Announcement from Federal Student Aid (FSA) states that a missing slide about parent assets to the Dependent Student – Required Parent scenario has now been

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The difference between sticker price and what you will pay for college

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By Catherine Mueller One look at a college’s sticker price and many students and their parents wonder how they will ever be able to afford higher education. The good news is that most students do not end up paying the full sticker price for college. That’s because many students receive some form of financial aid from

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Planning how to pay for college – topic of podcast program featuring Mapping Your Future

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By Marlene Seeklander With all the changes to federal financial aid, students and parents need a plan to pay for college – now more than ever. Cathy Mueller, executive director of Mapping Your Future, discussed paying for college and other college planning topics recently on the Broadcast Retirement Network’s podcast. Entitled “How to Afford College in

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2027-28 FAFSA now available for all students and contributors

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By Marlene Seeklander Students and parents can now complete the 2027-28 FAFSA – in advance of the Congressionally mandated release date of October 1. The early release of the FAFSA enables students and families to get a head start on preparing for the 2027-28 academic year. Once the FAFSA is completed, students and parents can focus

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FAFSA Specifications Guides updated

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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals can stay current with any changes to the FAFSA form and financial aid processing by reviewing the recent updates to the FAFSA Specifications Guides for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 award years.   The Department of Education recently announced updates to several volumes of the guides. Updates were made to volumes 1,

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Mapping Your Future offers FAFSA Presentation video

Newsroom, College preparation, FAFSA resources, Mapping Your Future features, Paying for College / By

By Marlene Seeklander Students and parents preparing to complete the 2027-28 FAFSA will want to watch the latest video from Mapping Your Future. The “2027-28 Financial Aid Event” presentation is available on the Mapping Your Future YouTube channel. In the 2027-28 FAFSA presentation, Cathy Mueller, Executive Director of Mapping Your Future, presents a high-level overview of

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FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) text on graduation cap and money.

Department of Education releases 2027-28 College Financing Plan

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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals who opt to use the Department of Education’s College Financial Plan template now have a new version for the 2027-28 award year. The Department of Education announced the release of the 2027-28 College Financing Plan (CFP), a consumer tool that colleges can use to notify students about their financial aid

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