Applying for College Scholarships
In this webinar, you'll learn key scholarship facts, how to use online search engines to find scholarships, and plenty of helpful tips to use in your search.
Financial Aid 101 (Chinese)
This webinar provides information and clarity on the entire college financial aid application process. Learn about financial aid applications and types of financial aid, the factors that determine your aid eligibility, how colleges determine the amount of aid to offer, and the details of financial aid offers.
What is the SAI?
The Student Aid Index, or SAI, is a number that represents your family’s financial strength and ability to pay for college, and helps to determine how much financial aid you’re eligible to receive.
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 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.
Using Veterans’ Education Benefits to Finance a College Education
Are you a student Veteran looking to understand how you can apply your service-connected benefits to your education? Join the Assistant Director of Veterans Upward Bound, Nick Charrette, for a deep dive into different GI Bill types, Chapters 30, 31, and 33, VR&E benefits, in-state tuition waivers, FAFSA, and more. Learn the best ways to calculate your own benefit entitlement and which pitfalls to avoid. Download the webinar slides to follow along
Understanding Financial Aid Offers & Paying the College Bill
This webinar provides valuable guidance for high school seniors who have received their college acceptance letters and financial aid offers and are trying to make the college decision. Topics include an overview of different types of financial aid, an explanation of how to calculate the balance due at each college, and methods for paying the college bill.
Talking to Families About Paying for College
Talking to families about paying for college can be an emotional conversation. Three MEFA College Planning Experts share their experiences and tips for navigating the process.
Updates on Income-Driven Repayment for Federal Student Loan Borrowers & Parent PLUS Loan Borrowers
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced another waiver that will bring borrowers closer to forgiveness under income-driven repayment (IDR) plans and that in many ways extend the benefits of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver. These adjustments to borrower accounts include conducting a one-time revision of IDR payment counters to address past inaccuracies (including automatically discharging loans for eligible borrowers) and permanently fixing IDR payment counting by reforming ED’s IDR tracking procedures going forward. These adjustments also allow Parent PLUS borrowers and other federal loan borrowers to obtain credit for normally ineligible periods for the purposes of Public Service Loan Forgiveness! Join us for a discussion on this important topic with student loan expert Betsy Mayotte, President of TISLA.
Scholarships
Scholarships are types of "gift aid" or free money, which means they do not have to be repaid. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains where to find both local and national scholarships and helpful tips to use in your search.