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.

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

File your 2006-2007 FAFSA Application

If you plan on starting school in the fall of 2006, you need to fill out the 2006-2007 FAFSA.

The 2006-2007 FAFSA Application is available from the government on January 1st. It is highly recommended that you fill out the FAFSA on January 1st or as soon after as possible.

If you want to get the 2006-2007 application out of the way now and do not want to worry about it, you can file it now with easyaid.com at:

The 2006-2007 FAFSA at easyaid.com.

Easyaid.com will check over your answers to ensure that you have no mistakes and your application will not be rejected. The application will be filed precisely when the new application is available, at midnight central time on January 1st, 2006.

Which Parent's information do I use for the FAFSA?

If your parents are divorced and it is time to file the FAFSA, you might have trouble figuring out whose information to use. If you father makes $100,000 a year and your mother makes $20,000 a year, you might automatically think that using your mother's information might be beneficial. The law states that you must put the financial information of the parent who will provide more than 50% of the student's support during the school year. In the situation above, if you are living with your father and he is paying the bills, you would have to use his information. If you are still a dependant student living on your own and no parent is funding any part of your well being, you can choose whichever parent you want to put on the FAFSA. It would be in your best interest to use the parent who makes less money.

Do you need a CSS Profile?

What is the CSS Profile?
This is a very long form that some schools & scholarship organizations require you to fill out if you want to be eligible for school based aid. The CSS Profile is much more intense than the FAFSA and has many more questions to answer.

The "Profile" is processed by collegeboard.com and they do charge fees for filing this form. This school year is is $25 for the application and $16 for each school and organization that you wish to send it to.

The CSS Profile Application dives very deep into the financial situation of the student and the parents as it is mostly used for students seeking early admission to college when the current FAFSA is not made available yet. Not many public state colleges and universities use the CSS, but most private upscale schools do.

Not every school requires the CSS Profile, but you can find a list of them here:

Schools & Scholarships that require the CSS Profile.

If your school is on this list, it is in your best interest to file this form. You can fill out the profile here:

CSS Profile

FAFSA Drug Question

If you have ever filed a FAFSA, you know that there is a question on there that asks if you have ever been convicted of possessing or selling drugs. If you have, you probably will not be eligible for financial aid.

This is ridiculous as people convicted of murder can get financial aid, but someone who gets caught with some pot might not.

Some lawmakers are trying to get this drug question off the FAFSA, as taking education away from someone who might have make a little mistake in the past is hurting more than helping.

Don't expect the Pell Grant

The majority of students start college expecting to get the Pell Grant. The Pell Grant is reserved for the neediest students who attend college.

One example might be a student who lives with a single parent who makes $40,000 a year, but has several debts and a total of 2 children. This parent obviously can not afford to pay for college for their child, but this student will probably not get the Pell grant.

The students that get the Pell Grant are the people with 2 parent or single parent families that might make a total of $20,000 a year with 3 or 4 kids at home.

When you are planning on college, just expect that you will take out loans, or have to attend community college for two years.

There is also a chance that government budget cuts, education and Pell Grants might be the first to go.

You can learn more about the Pell Grant at thepell.com

Buying College Textbooks

You might spend more on college textbooks than you do for an entire class. The price of books is quite ridiculous for college when all the other college expenses are huge too. I have found that buying used is the best bet for books if you can get them. If you procrastinate, all the used ones might be gone and you will have to shell out the $150 for the finite math book.

Another best bet is to buy your books online. There are several sites you can visit to find used books and books for sale by other students.
Half.com is a good place to start. You can get $5.00 off a $50.00 order if you use coupon code:
TBFIVE
Textbook Season: Save $5.00 on all Half.com orders of $50.00 or more with coupon code TBFIVE

You can still get money for college

If you are one of the procrastinators who did not file your FAFSA in time to start school in August, you can still get money. The federal deadline for the 2005-2006 school year is not until June of 2006. Most schools will also reimburse you for money already spent on college.

You should file your FAFSA now and it is possible that you will get back money already spent.

What is a DRN?

Some of you might be asked for a DRN number when you call the Federal Student Aid Information Center. DRN stands for Data Realize Number. This number is required if you wish to add a school to your FAFSA or change your address on the phone. The only place you can get this number is on your Student Aid Report. In short, when you get your student aid report via mail or email, you really should keep it, because if you want to get a copy resent to you, it could take as many as 10 days.

Government to cut student services to pay for Katrina

The federal government would like to cut spending instead of raising taxes to pay for the rebuilding of Hurricane Katrina ravaged areas.

One item they would like to eliminate is to do away with all subsidized student loans for graduate students. This would mean that if you already have a degree and you decide to go for your masters and doctorate degrees, you will be paying the interest on all of your student loans while you are in school. This will supposedly save 8.5 billion dollars over the next 10 years.

Perkins Loans

Some students receive Perkins Loans from their school to help with education costs. Perkins Loans are different than conventional loans, as the school is the organization that actually lends you the money. Perkins loans also have several ways that you can get your loan cancelled.
You can read more about the Perkins Loans.

Are you a student who might need some fast cash?

Easyaid.com has put up a short, one question survey on how you think scholarships should be awarded. We certainly love to give out scholarships, but we know that it can be frustrating when you are just not winning any of them.

What type of scholarship would you like us to award?
One $5000 scholarship per year
Two $2500 scholarships a year
Five $1000 scholarships a year
Ten $500 scholarships twice a year

You can take this short survey and be entered to win one of ten cash prizes to be chosen on December 31st.

You can take the scholarship survey here:

http://www.easyaid.com/scholarship-survey.html

Tired of getting turned down for scholarships?

Most students realize that getting a scholarship based on writing an essay can be tough business. Scholarship committees have hundred and sometimes thousands of essays to read though. How can you be sure that your essay will be read? I suggest spending under 10 dollars and getting 100 Secrets of the Scholarship Committee. This book has one hundred tips on making sure your scholarship essay does not get overlooked. You can buy it by clicking on the below link.

Getting last minute money for college

Remember that even if school has started and you forgot to file your financial aid application, you can still get the money you deserve.
The law allows for schools to retroactively pay you federal funds for school. You must get your FAFSA application in before June 30th 2006 to take advantage of this.
Here are a few scholarships that you can take advantage of.

Frank O'Neill Memorial Scholarship

StraightForwardMedia Scholarships - Several scholarships to choose from.

FAFSA Blog

This Blog is about the FAFSA Application and financial aid.
We strive to give you the best information out there about the FAFSA and financial aid for college.