The Department of Education has unveiled FAFSA4caster, an online tool to help high school juniors predict their eligibility for college aid. The tool was developed in response to the Commission on the Future of Higher Education’s calls for a faster, more streamlined college aid application process.

FAFSA4caster will offer several benefits.
•An instant calculation of a student’s eligibility for traditional aid, including Pell grants worth up to $4,310 that do not need to be repaid;
•FAFSA4caster will pre-populate 51 of 102 questions on the FAFSA, which is required of all financial aid applicants;
•By September 2007, FAFSA4caster will be able to estimate a student’s entire aid package, including eligibility for federal loans that must be repaid.

FAFSA4caster will be available April 1. For those who habla Espanol, a Spanish version will arrive by April 29. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Federal Student Aid [Department of Education]

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