Monday, December 26, 2005

How to get FAFSA help

If you are one of the many students who needs help filling out the FAFSA, you are not alone. This 101-question form is more comprehensive than most tax forms. The questions can be confusing and it might get a little frustrating filling out the FAFSA online.

In the near future, you will have no other choice but to file your FAFSA online. The government is going to do away with paper applications and online will be the only way to go.

So, you need help while filling out the FAFSA, and you have several places you can go for help.

The main place people go for help is the Federal Student Aid Information Center. This call center is staffed by several call takers who should help you fill out the FAFSA. They should also answer any questions you have and walk you through the form. The issue that I have with calling this number is that the center is staffed with lots of underpaid, uneducated, and untrained people. The management always pushed the call takers to keep their "talk time" low so they can take as many calls as possible in a shift. If you want someone to walk you through doing the entire application online, the person on the other end might do everything possible to get you off the phone so they do not get yelled at. If you want to contact them, call 8--433-3243.

Another way to get help is to take a look at the FAFSA tutorial at fafsaonline.com. This tutorial takes you through the FAFSA step-by-step and really leaves you with no questions on what to do. You can find this tutorial at:
FAFSA Online Tutorial

No matter what, you should never get frustrated filling out this form with the help described above.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

FAFSA Renewal

It is that time of the year again: time to file your FAFSA renewal. The Department of Education has now stopped sending out paper FAFSA renewal applications. If you want to renew your application for financial aid, you must do it online.

Most students who have never done the FAFSA online are accustomed to getting a paper renewal FAFSA every year. The government is trying to save some money by requiring students file all FAFSA's online.

You must have your Department of Education PIN to do your renewal application. If you do not have your PIN, you must do a federal PIN retrieval You can apply for your PIN at www.pin.ed.gov and you can file a renewal FAFSA at:

Renewal FAFSA site

If you have any questions about renewing, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3242