Another holiday season is winding to an end. The tree is by the curb, the decorations are back in storage, and the lights are coming down this weekend (or next weekend, or whenever the neighbors start to complain). The resolutions have been made, and more than a few have undoubtedly already been broken. For high school seniors, college students and parents of both, there is one resolution that they may not have made, but probably should have: Get the FAFSA submitted early.

W-2’s will be arriving soon, and before long the IRS will be eagerly awaiting your tax returns. If you are a high school senior, a college student or the parent of a dependent student who will be applying for college financial aid, it is also the time of year when the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) becomes available online. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: FAFSA, financial aid, Paying for College
Posted in Paying for College | 1 Comment »

In celebration of Financial Aid Awareness Month, today we are going to bust some of the most popular college financial aid myths. (Which ones have you heard before?)

Let’s get started:

Myth #1 – Star high school athletes always receive full-ride athletic scholarships for college

All of us have watched truly talented athletes play on our home fields and courts. It’s natural to assume these local stars are shoe-ins for scholarships. But the harsh reality is, there are stars in every high school in every state and the competition for limited college athletic scholarship dollars is stiff. Many of these athletes will play at the college level, but the NCAA only awards athletic scholarships for Division-I and Division-II schools (usually those large, competitive schools you see playing sports on TV). These scholarships are rarely “full-ride” scholarships, and only about 2% of ALL high school athletes receive these scholarships.

BUSTED! Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: athletic scholarship, college financial aid, FAFSA, financial aid
Posted in Paying for College | 2 Comments »