Tag: financial aid


10 Common FAFSA Mistakes & How To Avoid Them

Posted on October 9th, 2019

Now that the FAFSA is available in October, it’s important to make sure you’re filling it out as early as possible.

But filling it out correctly is even more important. If you make a mistake on your FAFSA, you could miss out on financial aid.

Check out the top 10 common FAFSA mistakes from the Federal Office of Student Aid to make sure you don’t miss out on free money for college.

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Colgate University eliminates loans for families making under $125k

Posted on August 14th, 2019

As a Western New York-based business, we love seeing Upstate New York colleges making positive changes — especially when it results in lower student debt.

Colgate University, a prestigious college located in Hamilton, NY, recently announced a new no-loan initiative for students with a total family income up to $125,000.

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A Video Walkthrough of the 2019-20 FAFSA

Posted on November 6th, 2018

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available for the 2019-20 school year.

All students attending college in fall 2019 and/or spring 2020 should use this application to apply for financial aid. Watch this video for step-by-step instructions on how to complete the form.

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These 20 colleges give students the most financial aid

Posted on October 12th, 2018

Few students can afford the high price of college without financial aid. So for prospective college students and families, it’s crucial to know which schools award the most aid before applying to college.

The Princeton Review recently ranked colleges based on students’ ratings of overall satisfaction with their financial aid packages at the 384 best colleges in the U.S. According to their analysis, these are the best colleges for financial aid in 2018:

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1/3 of colleges greatly underestimate living costs

Posted on September 12th, 2018

"If you're aligning your work and borrowing decisions based on aid from the university, there's a possibility you can go through a perfect financial planning exercise and still end up short in the fall." -- David Helene, Edquity

You’re prepared for college. You know exactly how much you’ll have to pay, have borrowed the appropriate amount, and shouldn’t have any unexpected expenses. Right? Not so fast, say researchers. If you planned for college costs using your college’s cost of living estimates, there’s a good chance the amount of money you’ve budgeted will fall […]

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How to create an FSA ID

Posted on November 3rd, 2017

It’s that time of the year: time for college-bound students and their parents should fill out the Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA).

Students and parents should complete the FAFSA ASAP for priority financial aid consideration.

Even if you’ve filled out the FAFSA before, there are some big FAFSA changes you need to know about if you haven’t submitted one in the past couple of years.

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College net prices rise for 6th straight year

Posted on October 27th, 2017

We’ve written in the past how net price — the price you actually pay for college after financial aid, grants and scholarships — is more important than a college’s published price.

Many colleges have high sticker prices, but end up being affordable because they have generous financial aid policies.

Unfortunately, because the rise in financial aid hasn’t kept up with rising costs, the net price of college has risen for the sixth straight year, Money reports.

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Perkins Federal Student Loan Program Ends

Posted on October 13th, 2017

As of October 1, students can no longer take out federal Perkins Loans to help them pay for college.

The government’s oldest federal student aid program, established in 1957, ended Sept. 30, after Congress failed to extend the program. As a result, up to 500,000 eligible students at 1,500 colleges will no longer be able to take advantage of this financial aid program.

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FAFSA now available for 2018-19 school year

Posted on October 3rd, 2017

As of October 1, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available for families and students applying for financial aid for the 2018-19 academic year.

Current high school seniors as well as college freshmen, sophomores and juniors will need to fill out the FAFSA to receive federal financial aid for next year.

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How much public college tuition costs have risen by state

Posted on August 28th, 2017

With college as expensive as it is now, public colleges have been touted as a good alternative for students looking to limit college costs.

But, like private colleges, tuition at public colleges across the country has risen rapidly over the past ten years.

Between 2008 and 2017, the average cost of attending a four-year public college went up in every state, even adjusting for inflation, according to a recent report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, as reported by MarketWatch.

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