Four Tips on Financial Aid for Students You Have Never Heard

Tip 1 Do Your FAFSA Homework.

I get multiple, silly questions about the FAFSA every week. For example,

“Who pays for college in FAFSA?”

“What are the requirements to keep FAFSA?”

The FAFSA is an application, not financial aid. It is an important tool. Yet most parents and students spend very little time thinking about it.

Somebody in every family needs to become an expert on the FAFSA.

IMO, that “somebody” needs to be an adult, and they need to be up to speed by the time their eighth grader reaches their second semester.

At a minimum, you should be thoroughly familiar with these two websites.

How to Get More Money From FAFSA | College Ave

Get key information about how to receive more money from FAFSA. Learn critical FAFSA tips that could help you get more financial aid for school. (Get More Money Tip #2 explains why you need to be up to speed so early.)

A Step-By-Step Guide To Completing The 2022-2023 FAFSA Questions

With 100+ questions, the FAFSA can be a confusing process. Use this guide to help understand each question on the 2022-2023 FAFSA, why it’s being asked and how to fill it out.

Tip 2 Score A Tuition Discount

Only apply to colleges where your credentials are solidly in the top 25% of admitted students. Use the Common Data Set to gather this information.

Tip 3 Appeal Your Financial Aid Awards Letter.

Appealing financial aid used to be an exception—a last resort. I suggest you include this as a task in your plan. There is free tool to help you facilitate your appeal—TuitionFit. It is similar to TrueCar.

Tip 4 Begin Your Scholarship Search Early

Start your search for scholarships no later than middle school and keep it up until you graduate. Treat applying for scholarships as a part time job—X hours per week.

Notes

How to Get More Money From FAFSA | College Ave

Get key information about how to receive more money from FAFSA. Learn critical FAFSA tips that could help you get more financial aid for school.

https://www.collegeavestudentloans.com/blog/file-the-fafsa-to-get-more-money-in-college/

A Step-By-Step Guide To Completing The 2022-2023 FAFSA Questions

With 100+ questions, the FAFSA can be a confusing process. Use this guide to help understand each question on the 2022-2023 FAFSA, why it’s being asked and how to fill it out.

https://www.nitrocollege.com/fafsa-guide

Home – TuitionFit

Want a fair college price? Want to know what other students have been offered? Get Started With Knowledge comes Power TuitionFit gives college-bound students, families and college search counselors the pricing information they need to make the confident, informed decisions. We make it possible for more students to go to college, thrive, and begin adult…

https://tuitionfit.org/

College Scholarships for Students 5 Through 21

You don’t have to be an incoming or current college student to start the search for scholarships. Check out this list of college scholarships for kids starting at five years old!