The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a bit cumbersome, so the Department of Education tried to ease that burden by creating a tool that automatically filled in an applicant’s previous year’s tax information. That tool was suddenly taken offline last month over concerns about data security, and now we have some idea of how many applicants may have had their information exposed. [More]
fafsa
If You Plan To Go To College Next Year, Fill Out Your FAFSA This Weekend
By 9.30.16
Each year high school graduates preparing for college leave billions of dollars on the table by failing to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A new initiative by the Department of Education aims to change that this year, by starting the process earlier and making it easier to fill out. So here’s your warning: FAFSA season starts Saturday. [More]
High School Grads Failed To Claim $2.7B In College Grant Money Last Year
By 1.27.16
If you’re planning to attend college in the fall but haven’t gone through the not terribly difficult process of filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, you’re potentially giving up your chance to claim thousands of dollars in free money. But you wouldn’t be alone; a new analysis shows that U.S. students failed to claim upwards of $2.7 billion last year because they didn’t take the time to fill out a piece of paper. [More]
College-Bound Students Can Fill Out Their FAFSA Forms 3 Months Earlier Starting Next Year
By 9.14.15
Each year Consumerist reminds college-bound students and their families that billions of dollars in college aid will go unclaimed because so many people won’t take the time to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid [FAFSA] form. But a new initiative by the Department of Education aims to change that by revamping the application process: starting it earlier and making it easier to fill out. [More]
Former Operator Of FAFSA.com Penalized $5.2M For Illegal Billing
By 7.23.15
Five years ago, we told readers looking to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to steer clear of FAFSA.com, as it was not the official Dept. of Education site for the FAFSA. Today, federal regulators announced a $5.2 million settlement with the company behind the now-defunct website for illegal billing practices. [More]
Billions In College Aid Will Go Unclaimed Again Because Students Won’t Fill Out A Stupid Form
By 5.5.15
Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Way back in December, we advised high school seniors who planned on attending college to not be stupid and go fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid [FAFSA] form right away. Every year, billions of dollars in grant and loan money goes unclaimed because students and their parents never get around to filling out this paperwork, and it looks like the upcoming school year will be no different. [More]
College Students Leaving $3B In Grant Money Unclaimed By Not Filing FAFSA
By 1.20.15
College students and financial supporters of college students: Remember when we told you at the end of the year that you needed to get your Free Application for Federal Student Aid in ASAP? Maybe you pinned it on the cork board in the kitchen or made a mental note that disappeared as soon as you had to remember the finer points of the infield fly rule. It’s because people didn’t get around to filing their FAFSA that there are billions of dollars in unclaimed grant money just sitting around gathering dust like that post-it note on which you wrote “File FAFSA. Buy bread.” [More]
To Anyone Paying For College: Start Your Year Off By Filling Out Your FAFSA
By 12.29.14
Among all the resolutions you should make for the new year — saving money, losing weight, quitting black tar heroin — there’s an easy one that gets left off that list by parents of college students or anyone else paying for a higher education: Filling out that Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form as soon as possible. [More]
Glitch In FAFSA Form Changes Thousands Of Future College Students’ Financial Aid Offers
By 7.22.14
Federal financial aid is a vital part of funding many college careers; even the slightest mistake on a form could mean the difference between attending school and taking out costly private student loans. For thousands of prospective college students a glitch in this year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form may have put their financial aid offers at risk. [More]
FAFSA Twitter Account Sorry For Posting “I’m Poor” Tweet Aimed At Financial Aid Applicants
By 6.25.14
You know what isn’t always that funny to people who can’t afford say, college? Calling them out for being poor on social media. Oh, hello, Federal Student Aid’s twitter account. You seem to have made a mistake in that area. [More]
Federal Student Aid Service Doesn't Know When The Federal Tax Filing Deadline Is
By 3.15.12
UPDATE: FAFSA has sent out an email correcting their earlier assertion that the deadline to file federal income taxes has already passed. They’ve admitted they were wrong and apologized for any confusion. [More]
Students Seeking Financial Aid Beware: "FASFA" Is Not The Same As "FAFSA"
By 3.5.12
Students seeking financial aid from the government to go to college can apply for free online — that is, if they make sure they’re actually on the federal site, and not one that’s really close and charges a fee. [More]
3 Things You Need To Know Before Filling Out A FAFSA
By 1.9.12
If you’re a college student who seeks financial aid, part of your annual ritual is filling out a
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which lets you see what financial aid you qualify for. In its own way, the application is as important as any research paper or test you’ll complete at school. [More]
Financial Aid-Hunting Students, Make Sure You Visit The Right FAFSA Site
By 2.26.10
Filling out the FAFSA every year is as much a part of college as binge drinking and the morning after pill. But Jackie points out how easy it is to miss out on this seminal, government-subsidized loan and grant hunting experience by accidentally clicking on FAFSA.com, run by a non-government entity that soaks you for $80 to use its financial aid-finding services. The site you’re looking for is FAFSA.gov, which is free. [More]
FAFSA To Get Dramatically Shorter, Less Painful
By 6.24.09
The Department of Education has announced that the FAFSA, considered (by me) to suck worse than any form ever, is getting shorter and less painful. Most importantly for those of you who have procrastination-prone parents that just don’t enjoy filling out forms (me, again), the FAFSA will allow students applying for financial aid in the spring semester of 2010 to “seamlessly retrieve their relevant tax information from the IRS for easy completion.”
College Students: Before You Bog Yourself Down With Loans Fill Out A FAFSA To Snag Free Pell Grants
By 6.22.09
Exactly how much academic knowledge you glean from college is debatable, but the experience gives most people a thorough lesson of how to drown yourself in debt. But there is financial aid out there, some of it free, for those willing to look for it. This HowToDoThings post offers some helpful tips on how to sniff out federal Pell Grants by getting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
A Big-Ass List Of Student Loan Resources
By 3.30.09
It’s a tough economic climate to be graduating from school — and maybe an even tougher one for those of you trying to get financial aid. We’ve put together a list of some financial aid and student lending resources to help make things easier.
Help! Is Anyone Still Giving Out Private Student Loans!?
By 10.27.08
Reader Michael has some questions about how the credit crunch is affecting private student loans. Is anyone still lending?
