Financial Aid
FAFSA & Paying for College Help WEBINARS
6 Things to Know About the New FAFSA
The FAFSA® will open in December 2023 rather than October 2023.
The FAFSA form will be shorter and easier for students and families to complete when they consent to provide their federal tax information via a direct data share with the IRS
Applicants and contributors will need an FSA ID to apply for federal student aid, so encourage students to create an FSA ID as early as possible at StudentAid.gov.
The new Student Aid Index (SAI) will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) in the calculation to
determine eligibility for need-based funding. So, the new formula will be cost of attendance (COA) – SAI = financial need.
Students who are unhoused, orphans, former foster youth, or who have other circumstances that prevent them from providing parental information will benefit from simplified questions that more efficiently determine their independent status.
Find outreach tools to better understand 2024-25 FAFSA changes on Federal Student Aid’s Financial Aid Toolkit website at: financialaidtoolkit.ed.gov/bfbf
NHHEAF FAFSA virtual appointments. Call: (800) 525-2577
NHHEAF is available for financial aid information. Here is the direct Calendly link for Celina Hayliger: www.calendly.com/cheyliger , so families can schedule the day and time they want! If Celina is unavailable for a particular day/time, families can FILE A FAFSA with one of her colleagues, using https://calendly.com/nhheaf_ccp to schedule that appointment. Everyone at CCP wants to help families file their FAFSA’s!
Paying for College Presentation - April 5th 2023
Fall Financial Aid Info Night - Missed it? The presentation is HERE
FAFSA - MUST be filed to get
need-based AID!
The College Essay Guy provided a handy organizer for expenses - Just make a copy for yourself.
REMEMBER THERE ARE DEADLINES FOR APPLICATIONS & FOR THE CSS PROFILE (IF NEEDED)
Only ONE FAFSA is filed but BOTH a Parent and Student need a FSA ID at least 3-5 days before filing.
START HERE and get your FSA ID
https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
Estimate your EFC/SAI and get an early peek at your financial aid estimate.
https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/
Divorced parents/Guardians and more... This is changing in 2023/2024 and it focuses more on who is providing the most financial support.
If you do not live with your parents/are homeless/or live with a guardian(s), read this about special circumstances and the FAFSA.
WHAT’S AN EFC (now called the SAI), COA, NET PRICE CALCULATOR, AWARD LETTER, ETC??
Financial Aid Glossary: Learn the Lingo
Remember… Financial Need = The difference between the cost of attendance (COA) at a school and your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). FAFSA will now be calling the EFC the Student Aid Index or SAI. While COA varies from school to school, your EFC/SAI does not change based on the school you attend. Once you have been accepted at a school, your AWARD Letter will outline all of your financial aid.
Colleges are required to provide a Net Price Calculator and a Common Data Set.
Using both can help you determine how a college determines who will get aid money.
Find yours by going to the college website and calculate the true cost of attendance (COA).
Using the Federal Student Aid Estimator and the Net Price Calculator together can give you an idea of what your bottom line numbers will look like. Once you file the FAFSA and receive your award letters, you can start to make your best financial decisions.
Visit New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF) for more resources!
THE FAFSA
Students, parents, and borrowers are required to use an FSA ID, made up of a username and password, to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents.
The FSA ID is your electronic passport to federal student aid online.
The 2024/2025 FAFSA opens on in December 2023 this year. The CSS Profile will still open on October 1st
You will use your 2022 tax information.
If your income has changed, you will need to contact the college directly but you will be able to use your anticipated lower 2023 income when you complete the FAFSA. You might be asked to provide that 2023 income later next year.
You can create your user name and password NOW before December. If you’re ready, create an FSA ID now.
You must use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) to apply for aid once you’ve decided to apply for admission and attend college.
Fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can after it opens in December this year to ensure that you do not miss out on available aid.
Filling out and submitting your FAFSA® form is an important step in the journey to paying for college. We’ll walk you through the actions you need to take to stay on track toward accepting and receiving your aid.
Demystifying the Financial Aid Process: PowerPoint and Video Webinar
If you are considered a dependent student for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) purposes, you’ll need to provide information about your legal parent(s) on the application. A legal parent is your biological or adoptive parent, or your legal parent as determined by the state (for example, if the parent is listed on your birth certificate). If you have a stepparent currently married to your legal parent, generally, you must also provide information about your stepparent. Unless otherwise noted, “parent” means your legal (biological and/or adoptive) parent or your stepparent.
For more information, click HERE.
FAFSA HOW-TO VIDEOS - There's even a FAFSA APP!
NACAC Financial Aid Basics for families
