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.

The FAFSA now uses income from your tax return only. But “income” isn’t just your wages or your Adjusted Gross Income. It’s all the income on your tax return, whether you pay taxes on it or not. Good news: the FAFSA no longer considers income that isn’t on your tax return, such as payroll deductions to your 401k, though the CSS Profile…