2025-26 FAFSA delayed

FAFSA delayed

  Another year, another FAFSA delay. The FAFSA form for students entering college in Fall 2025 would normally open on Oct. 1, but will instead be rolled out in phases and be fully available by December 1. The FAFSA will only be initially be available for testing with a limited number of students and institutions.…

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College Planning Changes for Grandparents

grandparent happy about fafsa changes

  Contributing to college has become more attractive for grandparents after a number of significant changes to how grandparent contributions are treated on the FAFSA. According to financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz, cash contributions from grandparents, including distributions from grandparent-owned 529 plans and direct tuition payments to colleges, will no longer hurt a student’s eligibility…

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CIT Merit Money Expert Suzy Fallon Q + A: What Every Family Should Do Right Now to Maximize Offers

CIT consultant and merit aid specialist Suzy Fallon Q + A:  The hands-down best source of merit scholarships, the long arc of the merit scholarship process during the application year, and what every family must do right now to maximize merit offers ————————————————————————— Q: Families are as concerned as they ever have been about paying…

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FAFSA mistake will be fixed but data further delayed

woman happy

  The huge mistake on the new, redesigned FAFSA will be fixed, according to the Department of Education, but colleges won’t receive any student FAFSA information until sometime in March. The new FAFSA that launched at the end of 2023 has a calculation error that would have resulted in most families qualifying for less financial…

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New FAFSA live

liftoff

  The updated FAFSA form for students attending college in Fall 2024 is now live, although this is during a “soft launch” period where the website may intermittently be down for updates. If families submit the form during this time, their information will be saved and provided to colleges in late January. If the new…

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Student Aid Index (SAI) – 5 things to know

money puzzle

  You fill out the FAFSA, which gives you your Student Aid Index (SAI), which is how much your family will pay for college. Seems simple right? Ah, but like most things with the college process, that is unfortunately not the case. Here are 5 things every family should know about that SAI.   1…

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FAFSA error means less financial aid for families

frustrated male student

  The new, redesigned FAFSA that will launch by the end of 2023 has a calculation error that will result in most families qualifying for less financial aid than lawmakers intended. The legislation that drove the FAFSA overhaul called for an increase to the amount of income that was shielded from the FAFSA calculation, otherwise…

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Full pay as a college strategy

happy high school student

While many families are looking for ways to reduce the cost of college, a new strategy has emerged that actually seeks to pay the full amount for college.   The ability to pay the full sticker price can make families more attractive to schools, and thus increase their chances of getting accepted.   According to…

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Financial Strategies to Pay for College

Financial Strategies to Pay for College– In this webinar, CIT Education and Partnerships pro Cozy Wittman discusses how to create a strategy for paying for college and effectively surface the topic of the college budget with your child.  aid.  A must-see webinar!   

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