It’s that time of year. Over the last two weeks excited students have started to receive their financial aid offers from colleges that they may want to attend. Unfortunately, for many students the excitement is short-lived. The reason, many of the awards are not generous and are not meeting the majority of the need in gift-aid (grants & scholarships). Moreover, some of the awards only contain loans. For our clients in one of these situations, we initiate an appeal process resulting in an improved award consisting of more gift-aid. Let’s be clear here. I don’t expect the college to meet 100% of the need. However, I do expect certain things from various colleges. With over 24 years of assisting families, I know what an individual college can offer and what they cannot. Regarding appealing an award. Many parents do not know that they can negotiate for a better award and if they do know, don’t do it correctly. If you need a better financial aid offer, contact our office for a no fee evaluation.
After The College Acceptance Letter
The USA Today article makes 5 good points. The first one is #1 on our list of 12 Things You Have To Do Before Going Off To College. Students should always check on the status of their FAFSA and or Profile online and call your school’s financial aid office to ensure their loans, grants or scholarships have been processed. If you want the complete list of our staff’s 12 things, please contact our office.
5 ways to start preparing for college once you have the acceptance letter
News Source: USA Today
2015 College Financial Aid FAFSA & the CSS Profile Deadline Is Approaching
Many families have yet to file their financial aid forms. A crucial deadline is approaching. For numerous colleges, February 15th is the deadline for FAFSA & the CSS Profile. Every year at this time, parents come to us to review their forms. Historically in 95% of our reviews, we find a minimum of 3 mistakes if not more on each form which will cost a family thousands of dollars. Today, I corrected 3 FAFSAs for a family that had 2 mistakes for each child that would have resulted in no financial aid. Now they qualify. If you want a professional review of your forms to make a difference, contact our office right away.
Everyone Should File FAFSA For College Financial Aid
The writer is right on regarding FAFSA. Everyone should file it. In some cases it will stimulate unexpected sources of aid. However the article makes no mention of other financial aid forms that would be required by many schools. The CSS Profile and the college’s own institutional form. Families should never miss the college(s) deadline. If they do for some reason, there are a couple of ways to deal with it. Contact our office for more information. and no obligation consultation of your situation
It’s financial aid season for college applicants, a time when deadlines rule
News Source: Bangor Daily News
Be Strategic When Filing FAFSA For Financial Aid
The article entices you to file the FAFSA immediately. As I have stated countless times, this is not so good advice for many families applying for student financial aid. There is one main reason here. Contact our office for more information.
New Year’s is the best day to apply for college financial aid
News Source: CNN Money
Financial Aid, FAFSA & Undocumented Parents
It was a pleasure to talk with Emily for USA Today and offer important advice for students with undocumented parents. Their pursuit to achieve the best for their education is praiseworthy. As the article states, these students should always file FAFSA if possible. Even though as a non-citizen, the student will not qualify for Federal aid, the FAFSA may stimulate other forms of aid. The student should always ask the financial aid staff for assistance when needed; they are happy to assist in any way possible.
The FAFSA requires Social Security numbers for the student and parents. Ron Ramsdell, founder of Minneapolis-based College Aid Consulting Services, says if your parents are undocumented, you should enter all zeroes for their numbers.
FAFSA application tips for students with undocumented parents
News Source: USA Today
Is There An Important Deadline For FAFSA?
The writer states that the deadline for FAFSA is June 30th. Not true and big mistake for parents that adhere to this advice. Each college will have their own individual deadline which will be earlier. Also, the article does not mention that there may be other forms that will be required like Profile. One last thing, many families should not file their financial aid forms immediately. Why? One important reason. Contact our staff to learn more.
Important Deadline Approaching For Students Needing Help Paying For College
News Source: WBAA – Public Radio Of Purdue
When Should You Complete The FAFSA
The article states that you should complete the FAFSA as soon as the form becomes available, right after January 1st. I disagree with this in certain situations. If the family has their taxes completed in a timely manner and can meet the college(s) deadline, they should. Why? One big reason is by using figures from a completed tax return from the base year, the less likely the family will have to go through a process called verification. Regarding credit cards compared to student loans, the family should always consider utilizing student loans first, especially the subsidized loans.
3 big money mistakes to avoid in college
via USA Today
Cost Of College Education To Parents
I found this article worth posting because it states that there are proposed changes in the financial aid process. One of them would allow parents and students to complete the FAFSA using information from two years earlier so they can file it in the fall which would allow them to see how much they would have to pay in the following year earlier. I don’t see this happening for many reasons. I always advise my clients to apply to lower price schools as a backup. I do concur with the author that parents should discuss as much as possible with the student regarding the true cost of their education and the debt they will incur.
Cost of student loans can haunt parents, too
Des Moines Register
Is There A Best Way To Pay For College?
The article states that you should borrow the maximum amount of federal loans available because they have a lower interest rate than private loans. This is not always the case. Parents need to shop around and explore their options. However, some federal loans are subsidized and private loans are not. If a student receives a subsidized Stafford loan and they still show unmet need in their award, they should ask for Perkins loan consideration. Like Stafford, the Perkins is a good loan since it is subsidized. The reason you ask about Perkins is that many colleges will not offer it in the initial award. If you want to know more, contact our office for the bottom line.
Finding the best scholarships starts with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Even if you don’t think your financial situation qualifies, many institutional scholarships are sourced this way.
Let our experts give you the chance of the highest available amount of financial aid for your student. Receive your complimentary consultation when you fill out our online form.
What’s The Best Way To Pay For College?
News Source: FOX News Latino
