by Shannon Vasconcelos, former financial aid officer at Tufts University

If you’ve been within shouting distance of a TV, computer, tablet, phone, or newspaper today, you’ve likely heard that Congress passed an omnibus spending bill last night, including a COVID relief package. What you may not have heard much about yet is a number of significant changes to federal financial aid programs included in the legislation.  More details will be forthcoming, and the bill is still pending President Trump’s signature, but, for now, here are the major provisions in the bill that may directly or indirectly affect how students and parents pay for college:

by Michelle Richardson, former Assistant Vice President at Chase Student Loans

I have been asked this question multiple times over my years of counseling and educating families on available financial aid resources. Every student and parent would prefer grants to student loans, as grants do not need to be paid back. Let me take this opportunity to explain what a Pell Grant is and how students qualify for them.

Are you wondering if you can apply for financial aid on your own, without your parents’ financial information? While most traditionally-aged college students will require parental information as part of the financial aid process, some students are considered independent and can apply for need-based scholarships, grants, and student loans based solely upon their own information.

In the latest installment of the Bright Horizons College Coach video series, We Can Explain, we break down what it takes to be considered independent by a financial aid office.

by Robyn Stewart, former financial aid officer at College of the Holy Cross

If you are a regular reader of the Bright Horizons College Coach blog, you know that students are not required to include information about their non-custodial parent (NCP) on the FAFSA (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid). There are institutions, however, that do collect this information. Over 200 colleges and universities require students to complete a second application called the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile, and most of these require students to have their NCP submit income and asset information as part of the student’s aid application.

Financial aid officers understand that getting this information may be difficult or impossible for some students. Since failure to complete the non-custodial parent’s part of an aid application may result in the student losing institutional financial aid dollars, colleges that require non-custodial parent information have a process by which the student can request that the requirement to include NCP information be waived.

by Shannon Vasconcelos, former financial aid officer at Tufts University

In order to access financial aid for college, you can list up to 10 schools on your FAFSA (if you’re applying to more than 10 colleges, read our post How to Apply to More than 10 Schools on the FAFSA) to receive your family’s financial information. Upon receipt of your complete financial aid application, those colleges’ financial aid offices will determine your eligibility for any applicable federal, state, and institutional aid programs.

We are often asked if there is a particular order in which order a student should list colleges on the FAFSA in order to maximize financial aid or chances of admission. The good news for students is that, in most cases, it makes absolutely no difference in what order you list your schools: listing from first choice to last, in alphabetical order, or by favorite school color will not change your admissions or financial aid outcomes in any way.

Applying for financial aid can by scary. It’s intrusive. It’s intimidating. And it’s high stakes.

But don’t let fear stop you for accessing the money you need to go to college.

In the latest installment of the Bright Horizons College Coach video series, We Can Explain, we break down the financial aid application process into 10 easy steps.

This week is all about applications! Our Top 5 Series is back, and we have two top 5’s for listeners: advice for seniors heading into application season (especially in the age of COVID) and for getting organized and ready for the financial aid application process. We’re also checking in on the rising senior summer schedule we introduced back in June and making suggestions for a fall timeline.

Applying for financial aid when parents are divorced, unmarried, or remarried can get complicated. In this installment of the College Coach video series, We Can Explain, former financial aid officer Shannon Vasconcelos provides a basic understanding of how income and assets are considered in the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

Owning your own business can impact the financial aid process. Tune in to learn more about how that works. We’ll also help rising seniors evaluate where they are in the testing process and determine whether or not they need to take any more of those tests at this point. Finally, we’re taking a closer look at how institutional priorities can impact admissions decisions.

Contemplating a liberal arts degree but concerned about how that will translate into your career? Convinced that your child must major in a pre-professional area if they’re ever going to make a living? We get it: college—and life—are expensive, and these are important concerns. That’s why we’re exploring the value of a liberal arts degree when it comes time to actually get a job. We’re also talking through the impact of owning real estate on the financial aid process.