Your financial aid office works with students and families who are at all stages of their higher education journey. Here, we provide resources to help them with the challenging financial aspects of getting a college degree.
For Students Still Considering College
Many students struggle with the decision of whether to go on to college or technical school. A compelling Why go to school page created by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) shows the average earnings of people with different levels of education. Students can also match their interests with a viable path toward the career they desire using ED’s useful career search tool, College Navigator.
For Students at Any Age
Every prospective, current, and former college student and their family should bookmark these resources from Federal Student Aid (FSA): their website, articles, and YouTube channel. Users will find easy-to-understand information about federal student loans, grants, scholarships, federal work-study, and the process for qualifying for these programs. The YouTube channel’s short videos break down complicated topics into bite-sized pieces for those entering the higher education system for the first time, as well as current students and those who have left school.
For Students Beginning the Financial Aid Process
Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is such an essential part of the financial aid process that there will always be value in face-to-face interaction and holding Q&A sessions. Whether you’re planning to do presentations about completing the FAFSA or not, you’ll find plenty of resources within FSA’s Financial Aid Toolkit. This searchable database allows you to find webinars, glossaries, infographics, and videos for various audience types on the topic of FAFSA education (and more).
While there are fewer questions with the simplified FAFSA for 2024-25, there are changes to the process from past years. Depending on the answers to common family questions, different people—called contributors—may need to provide consent and approval for their tax information to be provided. Each person involved in a student’s FAFSA is now required to get their own FSA ID. This helpful FSA video reviews what’s changed for the 2024-25 FAFSA.
Share Your Ideas
We want to hear how you’re engaging students and families over Financial Aid Awareness Month. Share your ideas with your peers in the comments here and on LinkedIn.
This post was originally published in February 2022 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.