Financial Aid

Increasingly, the “9-to-5” doesn’t represent the landscape of American jobs. Over 10% of the American working population is self-employed, and 16% report working on some sort of freelance or online gig job. But these “unusual” job setups can make it complicated to fill out the FAFSA®. So we’re here to break down how to report parent (or student) finances if you’re self-employed or own a small business.

Our team knows the FAFSA®–and the common mistakes made on it. Over the last 3 years, we’ve helped thousands of students fill out the form (using our FAFSA® Made Easier), and walked countless confused parents through how to correctly report their complicated home/financial situation. Here are the top 14 most common FAFSA® mistakes we’ve seen, in rough order of most common to least common.

If you see any kind of federal student loan (Direct, Stafford, or PLUS) listed in your college’s financial aid award package/letter, then you might be wondering: What are they? How do they work? We break it all down for you here.

The average college graduate comes away with a degree – and $29,000 of student loan debt, requiring an average monthly loan payment of $393. That ends up being a really high percentage of new graduates’ salaries. The problem is: once you’re behind, it can be even easier to get more behind. We’re here to help you figure out how to not let that happen to you. How do student loans work? How do you know how much you can afford to borrow? How do you choose the right (cheapest, most flexible) loan? And how do you best manage the costs?  We’ll get into all that, and more!

About one-third of college-bound high school seniors don’t fill out the FAFSA® – and therefore miss out on an average of $14,000 per year in financial aid. Even more students don’t fill out their state financial aid forms – despite states granting students an average of $1000 in additional financial aid. Maybe it’s because high school students often don’t realize there’s an extra step beyond the FAFSA®. That’s why we’re here to explain how the state financial aid process works.

You’ve received your college acceptance letters – but your financial aid award wasn’t enough. Maybe that’s because your top-choice school has offered you less aid than other schools, or because your financial circumstances have recently changed. Don’t worry – your aid offer is not necessarily final. You can write a financial aid appeal letter to request a revised financial aid package. Here’s how.

Participating in part-time work-study jobs while at college is a great way to fund your tuition bill or pay for textbooks– all while practicing valuable skills and gaining solid work experience.

But what IS a work-study job anyway? How is the federal government involved? What kind of jobs are there? How much will you get paid? We explain all the details here

Since 1982, the cost has increased by a total of 500%. As a result, about 40% of soon-to-be college students end up turning down their first-choice school and going for a cheaper option. Why has the cost gone up so much? One major reason for such drastic increases in college costs is a lack of funding from state and local governments. As more and more funding is being taken away from universities and colleges, upping tuition rates is an easy way to make up the difference. Other factors have also contributed to this, such as the ‘recreation parks arms race’ to attract students and rise up college rankings.

Every year, college students all over the country complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA. The FAFSA determines student eligibility for federal loans, grants, and work-study as well as financial aid at their colleges and universities of choice.

We’re kicking off the school year right by answering your FAFSA questions: how to apply for FAFSA, your FAFSA application, the FAFSA website, and of course the FAFSA deadlines! Grab a slice of pizza and get comfy – we’re diving in!

You’re ready to start planning in paying college tuition. But why are there two financial aid forms: the FAFSA and the CSS Profile? How do you prioritize which to fill out? What’s the process? We’re breaking down the differences between the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, from applications to deadlines, and everything in between.

Did you know you can save on your college tuition bill by transferring AP credits, taking the CLEP exam, and even negotiating? Yep, and here we explain how. Read on to learn how you can spend less on your college tuition bill.

When it comes to applying for financial aid, most schools and the federal government use the FAFSA to figure out their award packages. But some schools, around 250 to be more exact, use the CSS Profile, which was created by the College Board and looks at student aid from a different perspective. If you’re applying to one of those schools, you’ll need to know how to approach the questions to get as much financial aid as possible.