Receiving a college acceptance letter is exciting! We love acceptance letters! Soon after, the financial aid award letter arrives, which can be equally as important. While this letter outlines the financial aid a college is offering, it can also be confusing and difficult to interpret. Many families struggle with how to read a financial aid
Financial aid award letters are arriving, and many families quickly realize that some schools simply don’t offer enough aid to make attendance financially realistic. This can be frustrating—especially when the school offering the least amount of aid is the one your student most wants to attend. The good news is that financial aid awards are
Direct loans will be awarded to students who submit a FAFSA as part of their financial aid package. You may see two Direct loans. One is a subsidized loan, meaning the government is paying the interest while the student attends college at least half time, until they graduate. The subsidized loan will be $3,500 the freshman
The FAFSA will be required by every college when applying for financial aid. Many colleges will require the FAFSA to be submitted in order for the student to be considered for merit-based scholarships. Fordham University, for example, requires the FAFSA and CSS Profile in order to be considered for any merit-based scholarships. If your family has a change
This year, 2020, has undoubtedly been an extremely difficult year for many. For those families with children in college, a loss of income due to COVID-19 will impact their ability to pay for education expenses. It is important to understand how to communicate this change in circumstances to the colleges. It all starts with submitting
Applying for college financial aid is undoubtedly stressful for families. It can be even more stressful and confusing for divorced families. I have listed some simple rules to help demystify the process. The FAFSA and CSS Profile must be completed using the custodial parent’s information only. The custodial parent, for sake of financial aid, is the parent that the
Your student’s senior year of high school is now in full swing and they are diligently working on their college admission applications. As parents, we are starting to sweat a bit over the astronomical costs ahead. Instead of just worrying about it, we can do something productive and apply for financial aid. Every family with
Every student should be completing the FAFSA as they apply to college this fall. Creating an FSA ID is the very first step in this process. FSA stands for Federal Student Aid and the ID you create will serve as your legal signature when completing the FAFSA, accepting Direct loans or applying for Parent PLUS loans. The student and one parent
Many of you have heard back from the schools your student has applied to and the response is that have been waitlisted because of a record number of applications. What do you do now? Your student can email the admissions office and let them know that this school is still their top choice, if that
Going through a divorce is tough, being divorced with kids is even tougher and being divorced with kids preparing for college can be brutal. Understanding the basics will help quell some of these anxieties. Keep in mind that all information provided on financial aid applications is kept separate and confidential. At no time do
