By Catherine Mueller Not claimed as a dependent on your parent’s taxes? You may still be a dependent when it comes to applying for federal financial aid. Confusion over why a student is considered dependent on a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) when they are not claimed as a dependent on the parent’s tax […]
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By Catherine Mueller Students should apply for as many scholarships as possible. That’s good advice, but with that advice in mind, students should prioritize some scholarships and maybe avoid some scholarships altogether. In general, you should apply for those scholarships that are a good fit and not apply to any scholarships that seem questionable. To determine
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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals can kick off their 2025-26 planning and processing with some training offered by the Department of Education. The Federal Student Aid Training Center recently announced that they have updated the FAFSA simplification Trending Topic Series with the 2025-26 changes. Topics include: To sign up for the training: Training related questions
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By Catherine Mueller Students interested in gaining leadership skills and money for college may want to consider the AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), one of AmeriCorps’ most established programs, provides young adults ages 18 – 26 with the opportunity to serve in a full-time, paid, 10 –11-month national service opportunity. Another option is
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By Marlene Seeklander Students and parents setting up an FSA ID find it easy to do so, but there are some important tips to avoid account problems in the future. Setting up an FSA ID (also known as creating a StudentAid.gov account) is the first step to complete the FAFSA. To assist students and parents with
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By Catherine Mueller Creating a StudentAid.gov account isn’t difficult but sometimes a few tips will make the process easier. Setting up an account at StudentAid.gov, is also known as creating an FSA ID, which is the username and password for the account. Students and generally at least one parent will need to create one in order to
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By Marlene Seeklander Students and families needing FAFSA assistance now have more opportunities available to contact the FAFSA Call Center. The FAFSA Call Center is offering expanded hours, including evenings and weekends, which started November 22 and extend through March 2, 2025. In addition, English and Spanish speaking agents are available, as well as interpretation services in
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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
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By Marlene Seeklander Students and parents wanting to know about the FAFSA or who need to create a StudentAid.gov account will want to watch the latest videos from Mapping Your Future. The “2025-26 FAFSA and Financial Aid” presentation and “Creating a StudentAid.gov Account” (setting up an FSA ID) videos are now available on the Mapping Your
By Marlene Seeklander Colleges often have priority deadlines for the FAFSA to help determine who to consider for certain financial aid programs. Please note: Some institutions may adjust their priority deadlines for 2025-26 due to the delay in the release of the FAFSA. If you have a question about priority deadlines or a suggestion for this
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