By Catherine Mueller Many have predicted the problems with the 2024-25 FAFSA will have an impact on college enrollment this fall. A new research article out this week, however, provides new analysis on FAFSA completion data, enrollment projections, and recommended actions. A May 7 article, written by Katharine Meyer and published on the Brookings Institute website, suggests […]
By Beth Ziehmer New student loan borrowers will be facing higher interest rates starting July 1. To help students know the upcoming July 1 interest rates, Mapping Your Future staff recently updated several references to interest rates. The new rates were announced in a May 14 Electronic Announcement. Updates were completed on the: Contact the Mapping Your
Interest rate information updated Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Even though a FAFSA belongs to a student, the student is usually not the only person with a role in completing it. To determine who, if anyone, should contribute to their FAFSA, a student should first determine if they are considered dependent or independent. The Department of Education provides a list of personal circumstances that
Questions to determine who needs to contribute to a student’s FAFSA Read More »
By Catherine Mueller For those financial aid professionals tracking some of the known technical issues with the processing of student FAFSA records, another couple of updates were added to the list this week. The Department on May 22 added two alerts to the Technical FAQ and Known Issues Guide. The guide, which the Department says is “to
Two new issues with student FAFSA data added to technical guide Read More »
By Catherine Mueller The gate restricting entry to the FAFSA for some students and their parents has been opened by the Department of Education. In an Electronic Announcement this week, the U.S. Department of Education said it would allow students, whose parents may not have a Social Security number, to immediately access the 2024-25 FAFSA online after creating
Accessing the 2024-25 FAFSA may be easier now for those without a Social Security number Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Saving for college can be tough. With costs of just about every living expense continuing to rise, setting aside money for a child’s education may have been challenging. Even if a family has managed to save some money, it may not be enough to cover all of a student’s college expenses. Parents who
Five facts everyone should know about parent student loans Read More »
By Beth Ziehmer As your senior year winds down, don’t let yourself become distracted by solely focusing on celebrating graduation – stay focused and finish your high school career strong. Below are the tasks you should complete during the month of May:
May tasks for high school seniors Read More »
By Catherine Mueller For most students, applying for financial aid for college is not a solo act. In other words, students who are under the age of 24 must ask their parent or parents to contribute to their FAFSA – unless they have personal or unusual circumstances that exempt them from including parent information. If a
Nine reasons why a student wouldn’t ask a parent to provide information on the FAFSA Read More »
By Catherine Mueller This week, the Department of Education is emailing students and contributors who still need to make a correction to a 2024-25 FAFSA form, as well as to those who started a form, but did not yet submit it. In addition, the Department recently launched two videos – one for students and one for contributors – that
Resources to help with FAFSA corrections Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Choosing a college is an important financial decision. After all, you are making an investment in your future. Therefore, it’s important to carefully review all the financial aid offers you receive from the colleges you’ve listed on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Bottom line, you want to make sure the
The bottom line on financial aid offers Read More »
