The MEFA Podcast

Host Jonathan Hughes sits down at the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Advisors (MASFAA) Conference in Plymouth, MA. There, he talks to Anthony Erwin, a Principal Consultant for Blue Icon Advisors of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Advisors (NASFAA). He also speaks with Anne McDermott, the Director of Financial Aid at Salve Regina University and President of EASFAA (the Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators). They discuss how financial aid differs across the country, where financial aid offices need support, advice for new aid administrators, and more.

Host Jonathan Hughes first talks with co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna about students applying for private student loans for the spring semester. Then, they go into the MEFA Mailbag to answer a question about study abroad. Finally, Jonathan talks to Director of College Relations at MEFA Shawn Morrissey about financial aid for graduate students.

If you’re divorced or separated, you may have questions about completing financial aid forms. On this episode of The MEFA Podcast, MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes breaks down how to complete these forms, including maintaining confidentiality between parents, which parent completes the forms, how to determine the custodial parent, and how to keep the financial aid office involved. Jonathan also answers listener’s questions about changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, adding additional colleges to the FAFSA, and applying your student loan when you transfer schools. Jonathan is joined by MEFA's Director of College Planning, Julie Shields-Rutyna, and Wheaton College’s Director of Student Financial Services, Susan Beard. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Join co-hosts Jonathan Hughes and Julie Shields-Rutyna as they discuss features of mefa.org, including how to sign up for MEFA emails and where to find the MEFA blog post and webinars about financial aid, as well as all of the different services MEFA has to offer. Then they talk to MEFA’s Digital Creative Content Manager, Lauren Patten, about college scholarships, including how to apply for them, where to find them, and strategies for using them.

In this bonus episode of The MEFA Podcast, host Jonathan Hughes talks to the President and Founder of TISLA (The Institute of Student Loan Advisors), Betsy Mayotte. Here, Betsy talks to Jonathan about the recent temporary changes made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and walks us through the program itself.

Each student has a different track in the post-high school journey. Recently, a parent wrote to us asking for advice for her daughter in college, who isn’t sure she is on the right path. In this episode, host Jonathan Hughes speaks with Jan Combs of Bright Horizons College Coach to address this situation and others that may come up for students deciding what to do after high school. Also in this episode, Julie Shields-Rutyna, MEFA’s Director of College Planning, joins Jonathan to talk about the Federal Student Loan Repayment pause. Finally, in the MEFA Mailbag, Julie answers a question about how and when to apply for their private student loan. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by MEFA’s in-house loan product experts, Frank Cavanaugh and Meg Villavicencio, and MEFA’s Director of College Planning, Education, and Training, Julie Shields-Rutyna. Frank and Meg discuss private student loans, including when families can start applying, what determines if applicants are approved, what kind of rates and terms they may qualify for, and how to compare loan options. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about assets on the FAFSA and discuss steps a student needs to take after depositing at a college. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Apelila Joseph, MEFA Pathway Program Manager, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of College Planning, Education, and Training at MEFA. Apelila discusses how Grade 12 students and their families can make a plan to pay their college bill, including the use of savings, payment plans and student loans, and how to be a wise borrower if they do borrow student loans. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about how to pay the college bill and discuss FAFSA verification. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Stephanie Wells, Director of College Relations for MEFA, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of College Planning, Education, and Training at MEFA. Stephanie discusses what Grade 12 students and their families can expect to see on financial aid offers, including grants, scholarships, and work-study, and what the difference is between each type of loan that may be listed on a financial aid offer. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about why some colleges offer more financial aid than others and discuss how to determine your net price at each college. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Jim Slattery, Senior Director of Financial Aid at Northeastern University, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of College Planning, Education, and Training at MEFA. Jim discusses why some colleges require the CSS Profile™, the differences between the CSS Profile and the FAFSA, how non-custodial parents file the CSS Profile, and why it’s in families' best interest to provide financial aid offices with as much information as possible. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about if funds earned from a co-op are counted in the financial aid formula and discuss Federal Student Loan repayment resuming on May 1st. CSS Profile is a registered trademark of the College Board, with which MEFA is not associated. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.