Financial Aid

Financial Aid

FAFSA Update

Application, Blog, Colleges, Financial Aid, Information, Parents, Students
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October 1 is right around the corner. This is the day the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will open up for the 2017-18 school year. In the past the opening date has been January 1, but now there are new guidelines including using the information from your 2015 taxes instead of having to file your taxes quickly to get you FAFSA filed. This program, called Prior-Prior, will open up financial assistance opportunities for many who have had difficulty making the tight timeline of previous years. [read more]

 

LSU in Shreveport Accepting Applications for Fall

Application, Blog, Colleges, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Students
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LSU in Shreveport still has scholarships for first-time, full-time freshman students who qualify for one of three guaranteed scholarships. These scholarships, in addition to the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), may give some students a free education!! Your complete Admissions Application is your scholarship application. The application deadline is July 1, for fall enrollment.

New FAFSA and CSS Profile timing with “Prior-Prior”

Blog, Financial Aid, General, Information, Parents, Students
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Filing for financial aid can seem intimidating and difficult as families usually must estimate their income because forms are often due before taxes have been filed. But all of this will change for students filing in the 2017-18 school year. Both the federal government [FAFSA] and CollegeBoard [CSS Profile] will be set up for parents to use the IRS retrieval tool pulling information in from 2-years ago. This process is known as “prior-prior-year” or PPY. The new FAFSA will open up October 1, 2016 making it possible for some colleges to get financial information out earlier. [read more]

Time to file your FAFSA

Tags: , Blog, Financial Aid, Information, Parents, Students
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Happy New Year!! January 1st marks the beginning of FAFSA season. You can now file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov to see what you qualify for in terms of aid for the 2016-17 school year. Be sure to use the fafsa.ed.gov website because it is free. There are other websites that are similar but they charge you. You should file as soon as possible even though you do not have your 2015 tax information; just use your 2014 tax return. In many colleges aid is filled on a first-come-first-serve basis so do not delay.

CollegeBoard releases Trends in College Pricing Report

Tags: , , , Blog, Colleges, Financial Aid, General, Information, News, Parents, Students
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The CollegeBoard has released the findings of a study that investigated the cost of a college education in the United States.  The study considered several factors:  tuition, books, fees,  housing – including food.  The report noted that college prices have been rising more rapidly than the prices of other goods and services over the last three decades and that “the increasing economic inequality in the United States over recent decades has exacerbated the difficulty in paying for college for many students, in addition to straining federal, state, and institutional budgets.”

Student Loans Set to Increase July 1

Tags: Blog, Financial Aid, General, News, Parents, Students
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There are two new bills in Congress that affect student loans, with ramifications for parents as well as students who are using federally funded student loans to pay for college.   H.R. 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act, sponsored by Rep. John Kline (Republican from MN), was passed by the House of June 3, 2013.  S.B 682, the Student Loan Fairness Act is still pending in the Senate.  Both Bills have implications regarding the rate of interest of students loans that are set to hike on July 1, 2013.  US News and World Report Education section offers an explanation of the new student loan proposals.