The financial aid process would not commonly be described as easy. To break it down into steps that will make it much more doable for you overall, there are many financial aid services offered to assist you as much as possible. No one expects you to be a financial aid expert, and documents like the FAFSA and CSS Profile can get pretty dense and require a lot of personal information that you may not know you need. Here are some financial aid services offered that will help simplify this process, making it much less of a burden for you in the long run:
- Nonprofit organizations like the College Board are always excellent places to start looking for scholarships and other forms of financial aid that are not required to be paid back. The website is easy to navigate, and will use your personal information to match you with all kinds of scholarship opportunities that fit for you.
- Practice FAFSA forms are available online for you to fill out before you even attempt to fill out the real thing. This will give you a first-hand look at what information you will need to have handy when filling out the actual document, which will in turn help you avoid making costly mistakes.
- EFC Calculators are also available online, so you can figure out a good estimate of your Expected Family Contribution before even filling out the FAFSA.
- Financial aid consultants are available to save you time and stress by assisting you in all the necessary paperwork in the financial aid process. Errors on your FAFSA and CSS Profile can cost you generous amounts of money in financial aid. A financial aid consultant will go over all of these documents with you, as well as keep you updated on upcoming deadlines. Consultants will also make sure that the offers you're receiving are fair, and assist you in finding the right options for your financial status.
- Financial aid advisors are also available to help counsel students and their families on financial aid eligibility, application processes, costs of different programs and evaluation of particular financial needs. Advisors are available to answer any questions you may have pertaining to financial aid, and will also guide you through the process, as well as helping to prepare all the documents you need for any kind of financial aid, scholarships and grants alike. Most education institutions provide advising assistance to prospective or current students and their families.
