After the FAFSA/Dream Act: Next Steps

After the FAFSA/Dream Act: Next Steps

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Check the Status of your FAFSA

Once you’ve submitted your FAFSA online, you will receive an email confirming your FAFSA has been processed. It takes about three days for the form to be processed and sent to the college(s) selected. Submitting your FAFSA electronically allows you to immediately check your FAFSA status. If you submit a paper FAFSA, you can check the status once it has been processed, which takes anywhere from seven to 10 days after the date you mailed the form.

This year, FAFSA processing times may be longer. That’s because the U.S. Department of Education introduced the new simplified form, Better FAFSA.

Important links and resources:

  • A helpful video about the next steps after submitting FAFSA can be found here. 

You Might Be Selected for Verification

Verification is a process in which the federal government and colleges can request copies of specific documents to confirm the accuracy of the information reported on financial aid forms. Some students are randomly selected for verification while others are selected due to conflicting information that the colleges are seeing on the financial aid forms. 

Examples of documents required for verification can include any of the following if applicable:

  • Official tax transcripts or tax returns
  • Proof of citizenship/residency
  • Documentation of legal guardianship

This process must be completed in a timely manner! If you receive a verification request from a college you need to respond as quickly as you can so you do not miss out on potential financial aid that is first-come, first-served. Note that these verification requests may come through email, the school portal, and/or the regular postal mail.

Institutional Documentation Service – CSS Profile Submissions Only

For students required to complete the CSS Profile, there is a follow-up step that is similar to verification which is called Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC). If required, this process will also require you to submit additional documentation. 

Important Links and Resources:

  • Watch a helpful video that shows how to request a tax transcript via IRS.GOV to be mailed home here.
  • To find out you are required to complete IDOC, check out this website.
  • Created by the College Board, this is a series of slides and videos that reviews the IDOC process that can be found here. 

Create a WebGrants 4 Students Account

California students also need to be aware of the steps to take to secure their Cal Grant, Middle-Class Scholarship (MCS), or Chafee Grant, if awarded. For general information about these financial aid programs, see our post “All About Cal Grants and Other CA Financial Aid”. After you submit your FAFSA or Dream Act, you will need to create a WebGrants 4 Students (WG4S) account. This is the online portal that allows you to track the status of your state financial aid, complete required To-Do items and manage their award, and review your state financial aid history and remaining eligibility.

It is crucial that students complete your required steps by the appropriate deadlines, such as:

  • Confirm your intended school of attendance or make a school change
  • Certify your high school graduation date, for current high school seniors
  • Complete the Transfer Entitlement Certification, for community college transfer students
  • Complete the Cal Grant C Supplement, if being considered for Cal Grant C

Keep in mind that the timelines for you to complete these steps may vary depending on if you are a first-time applicant or renewing your award, as well as what type of award you are being considered for. You should keep track of their deadlines to ensure that you do not miss out on any state financial aid you may be eligible for. Once you have completed all of the requirements on your WG4S account, your intended college will be able to confirm their eligibility and move forward with issuing payment of their award. 

Important Links and Resources:

  • Watch a help video created by the California Student Aid Commission about how to create your WebGrants 4 Students account here

Check out a detailed description of how to complete certain steps on WG4S here.

 

 

Options to Cover the College Bill

Options to Cover the College Bill

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Financial aid offers from the colleges oftentimes don’t cover the entire direct cost of college. This means that after financial aid has been applied, there is usually a balance leftover that the student must pay, which is billed by the college. The total amount due for the year is typically split into two or three bills, based on whether the college goes by the semester system, quarter system, or credit hours. The student will receive the fall bill via mail or via the student’s college portal. Bill due dates will vary by college, but typically must be paid before classes for the new term start.

There are several options for paying the college bill, and it all depends on what works for you and your family. When planning to pay the college bill, students and families should consider these options first:

  • Family/student savings from savings accounts, and/or college savings plans (such as 529 college savings accounts, if applicable)
  • Earnings from summer or part-time jobs may help cover part of the college bill or cover indirect expenses like transportation, books, or dorm room supplies.6 College Savings Accounts and How They Work | BestColleges
  • Outside scholarships can be used at any college or university. Search for scholarships and pay close attention to deadlines.
  • Tuition Payment Plans may make the bill more manageable by enabling you to pay the estimated bill over the course of the school year instead of having to pay it all at once and with no interest accrual. You can look at your college’s website for payment plans available and see if there is one that fits your family’s budget.

These are the best options to pay the college bill because they do not need to be repaid in the future. However, student loans are also another option. If you are considering taking out student loans to cover the college bill, it is advisable to maximize your eligibility for Federal Direct Student Loans or campus-based loans first before looking at private student loans. There are several reasons why federal student loans and campus-based loans may be more beneficial than those you may find on the private market:

  • Favorable interest rates and terms
  • Eligibility doesn’t depend on credit history
  • More flexibility during repayment
  • May be eligible for loan forgiveness if you work in a certain field

In addition to Federal Direct Loans offered to you, the student, there is also a federal loan option for parent(s) who would like to help their children cover the college bill. The Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) allows parents to borrow up to the cost of attendance (after existing financial aid has been taken into account) every year of college, with no long-term cumulative limit. In addition, they may postpone monthly payments on the loan until after their child graduates (although interest will continue to accrue on the loan balance regardless). Also important to note, if your parent(s) apply for the PLUS but are denied, you become eligible for an additional $4,000 in Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans for the school year. If you find yourself in this situation you should contact your financial aid office for the next steps in having the extra loan amount credited to your account.

How Doubling the Pell Grant Can Make Life Easier for College Students

How Doubling the Pell Grant Can Make Life Easier for College Students

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For low-income students, choosing the right college or university is often decided by how much money they will give us. We do not have the luxury of choosing a university in a favorable location or by enrollment size. Some of us can’t even choose the one that offers the best program for our major because it doesn’t grant us enough funding. We, low-income students, are faced with limitations when it comes to going to college. 

And yes, scholarships are available, and their abundance does inspire us to apply to as many as possible. However, their competitive nature means not all students will receive a scholarship and therefore we cannot rely just on them. In other words, we need our government to keep funding education access for low-income students. Opportunities that come with programs like the Pell Grant. 

What is the Pell Grant exactly? 

The Pell Grant is a need-based grant awarded to undergraduate students who have not obtained a degree and demonstrate exceptional financial need. It has provided support for about 7 million students each year across 5,000 institutions in the U.S. However, its purchasing power has declined significantly over time. According to the Institute for College Access and Success, the Pell Grant only covers 30% of a college education when it covered about 80% in 1980. 

As a Oaxacan low-income student raised in South Central LA and a personal recipient of the Pell Grant, I can vouch that receiving this aid was a significant help for covering my tuition at UC Berkeley during my first two years of college. I felt supported by this assistance and received an additional refund to cover my basic needs like food and housing. However, after my sophomore year, I noticed that my Pell Grant amount was declining as I reached senior year. 

This is why we need to build awareness to #DoublePell because it can close the affordability gap for low-income students, leading to higher enrollment and an increase in retention rates. Education Policy Advisor Shelbe Klebs argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has made many students “rethink their post-secondary plans for fall; some may forgo college temporarily or permanently to work to support their families while others may choose to attend a more affordable community college close to home instead of a pricier four-year school farther away.” 

Doubling the Pell Grant is the most effective way to make college affordable and available for all students. It can lead to more enrollment of low-income students of color, increase graduate school enrollments with more students pursuing higher education, decrease dropout rates, and restore its purchasing power. 

Having this grant available made my college selection process easier because I could choose a good school with the financial aid package that was right for me. I am #ThankfulForPell because I was able to graduate from a 4-year university. By doubling the Pell Grant, I believe more students like me can have greater access to higher education, reach their potential and empower their communities. 

College Cost Calculator

College Cost Calculator

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What is the uAspire College Cost Calculator? 

uAspire’s College Cost Calculator is a free online tool that helps you compare multiple financial aid offers and calculate the total cost of attending different colleges. With the Calculator, you learn about the financial aid process, build self-advocacy skills, and increase financial literacy. 

Why did we create the Cost Calculator?

Financial aid offers, also called award letters or financial aid packages, can be very difficult to decipher. There’s no industry or government standard for colleges to communicate costs consistently or transparently to students. Different colleges use different formatting and jargon for the same types of aid or loans and the information they include varies. Some don’t clearly label student loans and often omit details about the total cost, making it a challenge for students to figure out how much they will have to pay. As a result, it is exceedingly difficult for students and families to make an informed financial decision.

We believe students deserve to be able to better navigate the process of financing college, especially when leveraging their futures with loans to pay for a college degree. College-goers should be able to make apples-to-apples comparisons between schools easily, instead of having to decipher the information from a hodgepodge of offers. This is why we developed the uAspire College Cost Calculator and are providing students direct, free access to a decoding device for better decision-making about college. 

Who can use the Calculator?

ANYONE. uAspire’s College Cost Calculator is available for general use, for free. The mobile version is easy to use, like the desktop version, making it accessible for those without reliable internet access. 

The calculator is also intended as a free resource for school counselors and financial aid officers to share with their students. High schools and colleges can begin sharing the Calculator with their students immediately.

What are the benefits of using uAspire’s Calculator?

The Calculator empowers students to know and compare the full costs of attending multiple colleges in order to make more informed decisions about where to go to college and how to pay for it while minimizing student debt. The Calculator was developed to:

  • Help text, images guide students to find and enter info
  • Data validation reduces entry mistakes 
  • Summary report compares aid, estimated bill, loan projection for each school
  • Student accounts can be accessed, updated, shared anytime from any device
  • Financial terms dictionary, tips, next steps, and links to resources

Why do we ask you to create an account?

By creating an account, save and share a one-page summary that compares the aid offer, estimated bill for the upcoming year, and a 4-year loan projection for each school. The report can be downloaded to a PDF and translated to Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

You can also save your information, come back to it at a later date, and add more schools to compare as you receive additional financial aid offers. 

Check out their college cost calculator here.

DecidED: College Affordability Tool for Students

DecidED: College Affordability Tool for Students

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One of the most memorable events in a student’s life is receiving their college acceptance letter in their portal, or mailbox. In those letters, you receive your well-deserved congratulations, your welcome package, and your financial aid package. This letter now determines where you will be going for the next four years of your life. 

One of the biggest deciding factors for college students is the financial aid award letter that comes in that envelope. A financial aid letter determines how much grant money the college/university is willing to offer you, how much you will pay out of pocket, and how much you will possibly have to take out in loans. When applying to more than one school, this information can get lost, misinterpreted, and confusing. 

DecidED makes this process a bit easier for students! With this tool, you can create your own account, add schools, and start comparing fit factors and any financial aid packages you’ve received. In addition, you can also get how-to guides from everything on loans to budgeting for indirect college expenses. 

All you have to do is head over to DecidED to create and use your DecidED account.

Watch their demo Introducing DecidED: Moneythink’s college affordability tool for students and congrats on getting accepted! 

If you are an academic advisor and want to help your students choose a high-quality, affordable college head over to their advisor page for resources!