Winter Priority Activities

Once students have completed their college admissions applications, it’s time to begin applying for financial aid. Follow these simple steps to get organized and meet your deadlines.

Step 1:

Cover the basics.

Download MEFA's College Financing ebook to learn all about the college financing process.
Attend a seminar or watch a recorded webinar on a variety of important financial aid topics.
Learn about Net Price Calculators and calculate estimates of how much financial aid your family may receive from each college.

Step 2:

Get organized.

Download MEFA's Financial Aid Toolkit to record important deadlines and passwords and to start gathering your financial paperwork.
Apply for a Federal Student Aid PIN for the student and one parent. This will serve as your electronic signatures on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which will be a required part of your financial aid application.

Step 3:

Complete your financial aid application.

Complete the 2012-2013 FAFSA
Register to attend a FAFSA Day program if you would like assistance with the form.
If necessary, complete the 2012-2013 CSS/Financial Aid Profile® form.

Step 4:

Apply for outside scholarships.

Search a free database with thousands of scholarships
Ask your school counselor about local scholarships that may be available.
Use MEFA’s Outside Scholarship Worksheet to keep track of outside scholarships you may be awarded in the months ahead.