Paying for College

US Department of Education building

Two new issues with student FAFSA data added to technical guide

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 »

Computer keyboard with FAFSA button

Accessing the 2024-25 FAFSA may be easier now for those without a Social Security number

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 »

A young man and an older man looking at paperwork

Five facts everyone should know about parent student loans

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 »

Computer keyboard with FAFSA button

Nine reasons why a student wouldn’t ask a parent to provide information on the FAFSA

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 »

Cute student girl taking notes with a pen and smiling

Resources to help with FAFSA corrections

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 »

Piggy with graduation cap on money

The bottom line on financial aid offers

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 »

Magnifying glass with FAFSA being magnified

Six things you should check on your FAFSA Submission Summary

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 2024-25 FAFSA (and provided a valid email address), the student

Six things you should check on your FAFSA Submission Summary Read More »

Wooden tile spelling out FAFSA

Students begin receiving FAFSA Submission Summaries but can’t make corrections yet

By Catherine Mueller The Department of Education began processing FAFSAs in March and some students have received their FAFSA Submission Summaries. However, if a student needs to correct or update FAFSA information, they’ll need to wait. After announcing that students will be able to make corrections sometime in the first half of April, the Department of

Students begin receiving FAFSA Submission Summaries but can’t make corrections yet Read More »

Scroll to Top