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.…

Read More

Insider Tips for the week of September 14, 2024

FAFSA delayed – 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. Learn more from the Dept of Ed. High school activities for prospective engineering students – Stellar grades and test scores are only part of the…

Read More

Insider Tips for the week of June 8, 2024

Explaining the SAI – One of the biggest mistakes we see families make in the college process is that they assume the number the FAFSA (or FAFSA projectors) provides them as their “student aid index” is what they will pay for college. Unfortunately that is not the case! Here are 5 important things to know about the student…

Read More

Cozy Wittman on Wicked Pissah Podcast: College Planning

College Planning with Cozy Wittman: Wicked Pissah Podcast, Episode 191 In this episode, Brad Wright and Jeff Tomaneng are joined by Cozy Wittman. Cozy is an education and partnership leader at College Inside Track. Cozy speaks nationally about college search, educating families and training financial advisors and other professionals who work with families with high…

Read More

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…

Read More

Insider Tips for the week of March 16, 2024

Expert tips on getting the most scholarships – Suzy Fallon from College Inside Track shares the secret sauce for how families can maximize scholarship dollars. Key takeaway: Each college has its own financial aid philosophy and you want to find those that match with your student’s profile. Take a few minutes to read this valuable…

Read More

Major changes to the college process in 2024

graduation ceremony

  This past year has resulted in some of the most significant changes to the college planning process in decades. Admission trends have changed how colleges admit students, there are substantial changes to the FAFSA and college financial aid that may make college more expensive for middle class and affluent families,  but also provide attractive…

Read More

FAFSA delays cause anxiety for students and parents

Chris Wills College Inside Track WCCO TV

College Inside Track was featured on WCCO TV discussing the announcement that student FAFSA information will not be sent to colleges until mid-March. In the WCCO interview, CIT’s Chris Wills explained a move to make the FAFSA better this year led to a major error that could have cost students more. Correcting that error is…

Read More

FAFSA forms delayed, here’s how it could impact students

Chris Wills from College Inside Track on KARE 11

College Inside Track was featured on KARE 11 TV discussing the announcement that student FAFSA information will not be sent to colleges until mid-March. In the KARE 11 interview, CIT’s Chris Wills explained the Department of Education decided to fix an error in its system, which he says is good for students and families because…

Read More

Insider Tips for the week of February 3, 2024

Insider tips for building the college list (part two) – The College Inside Track Consulting Team  for effectively building a strong college application list. FAFSA mistake fixed but data further delayed – The huge mistake on the new, redesigned FAFSA will be fixed, but colleges won’t receive any student FAFSA information until sometime in March, further delaying a process that…

Read More