By Marlene Seeklander Despite the importance of students and parents completing a renewal FAFSA, it’s understandable that because of their busy lives, they still sometimes need a reminder to complete the form. In an April 23 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that between April 14 and 22 they emailed 2024-25 FAFSA filers (and parents […]
2025-26 FAFSA spring renewal campaign reminders sent Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Schools may need to update verification records soon or possibly risk having their students considered to be in an over-award situation. A recent Electronic Announcement outlined several verification reminders for schools that should be reviewed to ensure compliance. Beginning April 23, the Department started sending messages to schools with one or more 2024-25
2024-25 verification reporting reminders and “W” warning message Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander 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
Financial aid offers – the bottom line Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Scholarships can sometimes mean the difference between having enough money for a college education or having to borrow student loans. Knowing the strategies of how to make the most of scholarships can be a key component in finding money for college. The “Strategies for making the most of scholarship applications” webinar, hosted
Mapping Your Future hosts scholarship strategies webinar – recording now available Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial Aid Administrators have some new workarounds and functionality to address some of the lingering issues related to 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA form processing. An April 14 Electronic Announcement provided updates and guidance for several items, including: Student Records with a Pseudo-SSN First-time FAFSA filers from the Freely Associated States (the Republic of
Updates to 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA form processing Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander While many students and parents are completing the 2025-26 FAFSA, the Department of Education is already looking ahead to next year’s FAFSA. Now is your opportunity to submit comments on or before April 7 to the Department of Education about the proposed draft 2026-27 FAFSA form and FAFSA Submission Summary. In an Electronic
Draft 2026-27 FAFSA application materials available for comment Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander 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 April:
April tasks for high school seniors Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander After the admissions acceptance letter, the financial aid offer is probably second when it comes to those highly anticipated notices from a college. For some students, getting admitted is just the first hurdle to overcome. Knowing they will get the financial aid they need can be critical to pursuing their education. After all,
5 things to look for in a financial aid offer Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander 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 2025-26 FAFSA (if they are determined to be dependent students) are asked to invite their parent or parents to contribute to the FAFSA. Students need to provide
Contributing to a FAFSA when the invite isn’t received Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander It’s never too early to begin your search for college scholarships. All high students – not just seniors – should pursue scholarships. In fact, some scholarships are aimed at students as young as those in elementary or middle school. And, even if you can’t apply for some scholarships until you are senior, here
Five reasons to begin your scholarship search early Read More »
