FAFSA resources

Dark blue folder with FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid on the front.

Minor updates coming to the 2027-28 FAFSA

By Marlene Seeklander The 2027-28 FASFA will include a few minor changes when it is released in the fall. At the recent Federal Student Aid (FSA) Conference that was held in Washington, D.C. on March 4-6, the Department of Education presented a session on “FAFSA Updates” to outline some of the upcoming changes to the 2027-28 […]

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Six things to check on your FAFSA Submission Summary

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 2026-27 FAFSA (and provided a valid email address),

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Mapping Your Future offers a variety of financial literacy tools

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.

Draft 2027-28 FAFSA application materials available for comment and news of upcoming enhancements

By Marlene Seeklander While many students, parents, and schools are currently focused on the 2026-27 FAFSA, the Department of Education is looking ahead to next year’s FAFSA to prepare for its launch on October 1, 2026. The Department of Education recently announced the availability of the 2027-28 FAFSA materials for public comment, a process that occurs

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Draft 2027-28 FAFSA application materials available for comment

By Marlene Seeklander While students and schools are currently focused on the 2026-27 FAFSA, the Department of Education is looking ahead to next year’s FAFSA to prepare for its launch on October 1, 2026. In a February 13 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced the availability of the 2027-28 FAFSA materials for public comment. The

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

What happens after you submit the FAFSA?

By Marlene Seeklander Students often have lots of questions about “what happens next” with the financial aid process. The general answer to all the questions is students who have submitted a FAFSA have now taken their first step to determine eligibility for financial aid. There are many specific things that happen now that a FAFSA has

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Updated 2026-27 Federal School Code List now available

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

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What current college students need to know about the FAFSA

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

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FAFSA Specifications Guides

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

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