Answering Your Questions about 529 Accounts and Financial Aid
Do 529 accounts owned by a grandparent affect financial aid? Do families receive less financial aid if they saved in a 529 account? Get the answers to these questions and others in our short video. And learn more in our blog post, College Savings Accounts and Financial Aid.
The FAFSA and Early Action/Early Decision
If you’re applying to college Early Action/Early Decision, you won’t be able to submit the FAFSA at the same time you submit your application for admission, as the 2024-25 FAFSA won’t be available until December 2023. You’ll want to make sure you check the financial aid webpage of every college where you are applying early to find out about any other required financial aid applications they might require, such as the CSS Profile® or an institutional financial aid application. For more information on the new FAFSA, read our blog post, What You Need to Know about the New FAFSA
How to Use IDOC
Learn about IDOC, a service used to submit additional documents, such as tax returns and bank statements, to colleges that require the CSS Profile®. To learn more about IDOC, read our blog post, Are You Required to Use IDOC for Financial Aid?
Ask an Expert All Your CSS Profile Questions
It’s time to apply for financial aid, and that means completing the FAFSA and (sometimes) the CSS Profile®. Join us for a Q&A webinar about the CSS Profile with expert financial aid administrator Mike Goodwin, Assistant Director of Student Financial Services at Williams College. If you haven’t started completing the form, it may be best to start before this webinar so you can bring your specific questions.
How to Create Your FSA ID
If you plan to submit the FAFSA to apply for college financial aid, you’ll need to create an FSA ID first, which allows you to begin the FAFSA process. And you need to create your FSA ID at least a few days before you start the FAFSA, so now’s a great time to check that step off your list. This webinar will walk you through the process of creating an FSA ID, explain who needs to create one, and discuss other things to know before completing the FAFSA.
Ayuda Económica para la Universidad 101
Este seminario web, presentado en español, ofrecerá información y claridad sobre todo el proceso de solicitud de ayuda económica para la universidad. Usted aprenderá sobre las solicitudes y los tipos de asistencia financiera, los factores que determinan la elegibilidad, las maneras en que las universidades determinan cuánta ayuda ofrecen y los detalles de las ofertas.
Appealing Financial Aid Offers
Are you interested in appealing your financial aid offer? MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes provides five tips to help families as they navigate the appeals process and try to secure more financial aid than was originally offered.
What to Know about Financial Aid Appeals
Learn the steps to appeal a financial aid offer from a panel of college financial aid administrators. Panelists cover how to write an appeal letter, what situations might warrant receiving additional funds, and the timeline for the process.