By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education recently released an updated 2026-27 Federal School Code List, which plays a key role in the FAFSA. The Department announced the availability of the updated 2026–27 Federal School Code (FSC) List of Participating Schools. Although it’s usually not necessary, students can enter these codes on the FAFSA in order […]
Updated 2026-27 Federal School Code List now available Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Completing the FAFSA isn’t a “one and done” deal for college students. Although students may hear a lot about financial aid when they are just beginning to pursue college, it’s an important factor throughout their education beyond high school. Because eligibility for federal financial aid (and other types of financial aid) is determined
What current college students need to know about the FAFSA Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Because the FAFSA Specifications Guides are such a useful tool, financial aid professionals will want to make note of several recent updates to both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 guides. The Department of Education recently announced updates to several important volumes of the guides, such as Volume 5 – Edits and Rejects and Volume 6
FAFSA Specifications Guides 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 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 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 »
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
Things to know when calculating assets for the 2026-27 FAFSA Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Students completing the FAFSA now have additional information when deciding which college they may want to attend. In a December 8 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced the implementation of a new lower earnings indicator as part of the FAFSA. This indicator—effective December 7, 2025, and only applicable to first-year undergraduate students—provides
Students completing the FAFSA to be notified about colleges with lower earnings Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander FAFSA users who previously encountered an issue when attempting to report their address within the U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, should no longer encounter an issue. In a December 4 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that on December 7 an update to adjust some users’ state and country code information was
