Good news: scholarships are pretty easy to get. In fact, according to the Education Data Initiative, almost 90% of students get some form of scholarship or grant. If just about everyone is getting them, you probably can too. This post will tell you how. First, a little background. There are three primary types of scholarships: Each is slightly different and…

Colleges offer two options for students to apply and get an acceptance answer early: Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA). Although both start with the same word, they’re quite different. What’s similar is that applications are due earlier, usually Nov. 1 or 15, and colleges respond earlier, typically by Dec. 15 or 31. Early Action simply means that the…

Your Student Aid Index– the amount that the FAFSA says your family can pay for college– gets a lot of air time. But there’s another number that’s more important: Net Cost. Your Net Cost is your actual cost to attend a college. Net cost matters because colleges are under no obligation to meet your financial need. That means that just…

Filing the FAFSA this year? Here’s what you’ll need to make the process go smoothly. And it bears repeating: you probably don’t need to file the FAFSA on Oct. 1. FSA ID: Both the student and the parent need an FSA ID. Good news: these are now approved immediately, unlike in the past when you had to get your FSA…

Filing the FAFSA and CSS Profile raise tons of questions for divorced parents. Here are some answers.