If you are one of the many college students who needs help paying for college, there’s an important date in your near future: March 1, 2012. Why is this date important? Well, if you want to receive government funds to help pay for you education, you need to have filled out and submitted the FAFSA by this date in order to qualify for the 2012-2013 school year.

What is the FAFSA? FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is a federal scholarship for students. Many students qualify for this need-based aid, but you must reapply for it each year in order to receive the money.

In the past, the FAFSA had a reputation for being overtly difficult to complete. Recently, the FAFSA received a makeover, which makes it easier to understand and complete; however, some people still have trouble with it the first time they fill it out.

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As an upcoming high school senior, you may be thinking ahead to college. There are a lot of different things to do and dates to have on your calendar. For those that plan to continue their education beyond high school, several things must be done so that you are properly prepared for your freshman year of college. Making a list and prioritizing it by deadline is a helpful way to make sure that everything is taken care of in plenty of time so that you can have things lined up and enjoy your last year of high school. A little bit of planning now will ensure that you have nothing to worry about later. Below are a few things to keep in mind so that no deadlines are missed.

FAFSA: The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, for the academic year of 2012-2013 is not currently available, but it will be on January 1, 2012. You only need to file once for each academic year and filing early is always best. The deadline for the 2012-2013 academic year will be June 30, 2013. Receiving free money like government grants can truly depend on how early you file, so keep that January 1 date in mind.  Once those government grants are gone, the only options available for federally funding your education would be student loans or work study programs. When filling out the FAFSA, you will need your parents’ tax and income information for 2011 and you can choose what schools you want your award information sent to. You can pick several schools to receive this information, which is helpful if you haven’t picked your college when you start filling out your FAFSA.

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It’s FAFSA season again! Time to get those applications completed and submit them for review. Every student requesting Federal financial aid must fill out a new FAFSA (free application for federal student aid) for every school year, and the earlier the better. While the task may seem daunting, the FAFSA application has been streamlined for your convenience and is easier than ever to complete.

Changes have been made this year to both the online and paper applications. Here is an overview of some of the changes:

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When preparing to go to college, one thing can help you more than anything else – get started early. If you think you might want to go to college or are sure of it, you should get the process started as soon as you can. One thing that many students will fill out in preparation for college is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA.

Filling out the FAFSA will help give you access to government funds to pay for your education. The information you provide will determine what type of funds you are eligible for and whether you qualify for grants, which do not have to be paid back. Students seeking access to these government funds must fill out a FAFSA for each school year.

Now the FAFSA for the 2011-2012 school year is available for students to complete online. The sooner you fill out your online FAFSA and get it filed, the sooner you will know what funds you can receive to help fund your education. Read the rest of this entry »

Most students cringe when it comes time to fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known by its dreaded acronym, FAFSA. Some students even avoid the whole situation by simply not applying for FAFSA and just hope to have enough money saved up by the time tuition is due, while others assume that they or their parents make too much money to qualify.

No matter what your situation is, it is always in your best interest to apply for FAFSA, especially if you’re having trouble making those tuition payments.

The financial aid application isn’t the easiest thing to complete, but students miss out on thousands of dollars in grants and low-interest student loans just because they didn’t have the necessary items to fill out the form. Sorry guys, but you’re in college now. If you want to make your tuition manageable, suck it up and gather every thing you need to complete the form.

Here are 5 things you will need to complete the FAFSA: Read the rest of this entry »

The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA attempted to answer the question – Who are today’s first-year college students?

The institute surveyed  220,000 first-year students who graduated from high school in 2009 and now attend 1,555 four-year colleges.

According to StudentAid.com, here are 20 interesting factoids that cast a glimpse into the average American college student’s academic experience.

 1.   Percentage accepted by their No. 1 college: 79 percent.
 2.   Percentage attending their No. 1 choice: 61 percent.
 3.   Percentage who applied to four or fewer colleges: 67 percent.

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Another spring semester is about to start. We are half-way through the school year, which means we are half-way to summer break. It also means that it is almost time to start filling out those FAFSA forms for next year.

What is the FAFSA? The FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

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If you have been in college for a few years, I’m sure you have noticed that tuition keeps getting just a little bit more expensive every year. I know I sure have noticed it. It seems like colleges keep finding some reason to increase tuition and fees every year. I thought maybe I was just being unrealistic, but unfortunately, I wasn’t.

A report released by College Board on October 20, 2009 showed that college tuition and fees have indeed been increasing. This year, public universities have raised annual tuition and fees by 6.5 percent. That means that the average student is paying $7,020 per school year! That’s quite a hefty price, but not nearly as bad as what private school students are paying. Although the average annual tuition for private universities only increased by 4.4 percent since last year, these students are still paying $36,273 per year.

Why are college tuition and fees skyrocketing when we are in the middle of a national, economic recession?

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If you’re one of the many adult Americans heading back in to the classroom, we want to help arm you with information you need to make that a successful transition.

The Today Show recently featured Kim Clark from U.S. News and World Reports, who explains some of the things adult students need to know.

1. Seek a federally accredited institution. Without this, you’ll likely miss out on financial aid, credits will not transfer (to or from), and employers may not recognize the degree/diploma. Learn more about college accreditation.

2. Consider an online college. There’s a reason more than four million students attend these institutions and why their enrollment is growing at double-digit rates. They offer convenience, flexibility and are often more affordable. They’ve really upped their game making it worth your while. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a week since the shockwave of Michael Jackson’s passing has rippled through the world. Thankfully for even the smallest fans, Jackson’s legacy lives on through his incredible music. While he’ll always be remembered as one of the most iconic singers and performers of all time, he’ll also be remembered as a generous humanitarian who shared much of his wealth with those who needed it most.

One remarkable contribution was made to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) in 1986, a $1.5 million donation that went to establish a scholarship endowment in Jackson’s name. In 1988, Jackson made a subsequent donation, by giving all of the $600,000 proceeds from a Madison Square Garden benefit concert to the fund. Read the rest of this entry »