Saturday, March 15, 2008

Scholarship Ideas

Here's another site with some great scholarship tips.

www.eprep.com

Find the article on weird and wacky scholarships in the financial aid section.

Wether you are tall, can make a great milk moustache, or knit, there are interesting possibilities.

Happy applying - be sure to follow all of the directions.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

FAFSA updates

Wow - Good news about changes to the FAFSA.

First - you can now submit your FAFSA results for 10 schools! It was limited to 6 schools last year.

Second - when you complete the Fafsa online the system will determine your eligibility for 3 new programs:

ACG - Academic Competitiveness Grant
SMART - National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant
TEACH Grant - Teacher Education Assitance for College and Higher Education

For ACG and SMART you must qualify for a Pell Grant in order to be eligible.

Please help get the word out to any low income families you know. There are programs out there to help make college affordable for children from those families.

Ready, Set, Go

The FAFSA for the 2008-2009 school year is now available on www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Remember, it is important to file the FAFSA as early as possible. This is the data used by the college to determine your financial aid package. Make sure you are first in line to receive any grants, scholarships, awards available for you.

But you don't have your taxes done for 2007 yet? No one does. Well, answer this question for me - how different is your tax return from year to year? For the majority of us, there is very little difference. Therefore, don't wait. Use your 2006 tax return to complete the FAFSA NOW! You will need to go back and update the FAFSA with your actual numbers, but if the actual numbers are close to the numbers you entered on the FAFSA, there won't be many, if any, adjustments needed.

Be sure to answer each question carefully. If you are confused about how to answer a question post your question on this site - I will respond as quickly as possible and then everyone can learn.

Do not leave any blanks - if the answer is zero, then enter a zero.

Happy Filing!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

The REAL FAFSA website

There are many sites that google will show you if you do a search on FAFSA. However, the only one you should use to complete your FAFSA is
www.fafsa.ed.gov

The FAFSA for the 2008-2009 school year should be available January 1, 2008. Happy Form Filing!!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Colleges pledged to lowering student debt

Here is a list of colleges who have implemented financial aid programs aimed to avoid or minimize student loans in their financial aid packages.

http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php

These colleges are certainly implementing policies which will help families pay tuition bills.

It's easier to Pay Tuition at Harvard, too

Harvard has joined the ranks of those highly endowed colleges and universities who have decided to replace loans with grants in the financial aid packages offered to their students.

They have also announced a simplified plan that says families with incomes between $100,000 to $180,000 will not have to pay more than 10% of their income.

These changes prompted an article with questions and answers in today's Boston Globe:
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2007/12/12/paying_for_college_where_do_loans_fit/?page=1

It is great to see more colleges looking for ways to help families pay tuition.

Monday, December 10, 2007

The growth of community colleges

I've been reading more and more about the growth of community colleges so I thought it was time to share some of the information I'm finding.

What are the benefits of spending your first two years at a community college?
1. COST - it is a fraction of the cost of most colleges plus you can live at home for free!
2. Diversity - the mix of students at community college often includes adults who are currently working or changing careers. These adults can become invaluable contacts for employment and/or a wealth of information offering an educational perspective based on real world experience.
3. Sampling - how many college freshman really convinced of their major when they start college? The price at community college gives them the freedom to try on a few different subjects to see what excites them, what they enjoy and what fits well.

Here's an artilce about the growth in Long Island New York community college system:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-licomm1210,0,76056.story?coll=ny_home_rail_headlines