college

The What, Who, and Why of FAFSA

Posted on by patweso

fafsaFAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid   Every college bound student (and parents of the student) should fill out the FAFSA even if the student does not plan to receive Federal aid. Colleges use the information provided by the FAFSA to help determine private scholarship amounts.   Quoted from the FAFSA website:  Federal Student Aid is responsible for managing the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. These programs provide grants, loans, and work-study funds to students attending college or career school.  https://fafsa.ed.gov/

FAFSA now allows you to fill out your senior student’s information in October (previously this was done in January of the senior year).  When filling out the FAFSA be sure you go to the official site. There are sites that look like authentic FAFSA sites, but after one fills out all of the information a request for payment pops up.  The FAFSA is free so be sure you go to the official site.   In order to fill out the FAFSA one must first create a FAFSA ID.  In the past a PIN was required, now it is an ID.  The FAFSA ID can be requested at any time.  Here are the answers to frequently asked questions about the FAFSA.

The FAFSA has recently changed and the changes are noted on this document.   One of the changes is related to reporting tax information on the form.  One of the important changes has to do with the tax information reported.  From the site:  Beginning with the 2017–18 FAFSA, applicants will provide income information from one tax year earlier—the “prior-prior” year. This means that the 2017–18 FAFSA will collect 2015 income information. As a result of this change, more students and families will be able to complete their FAFSA using income information imported electronically from the IRS, using our IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT), rather than submitting applications with income estimates that may need correcting, or worse, waiting until the previous year’s tax return has been filed. This is important because in many cases money is awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis.  The earlier the FAFSA is filled out and the tax information is provided, the better your student’s chance for scholarships and grants.

Below is a chart from the FAFSA website that shows changes in the dates for submission along with which prior year income and tax information one should use.

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The PSAT and Why it is Important

Posted on by patweso

psatAs the Homeschool Specialist at Bryan College I plan to use this forum as a means to communicate information useful to parents of teens as they prepare their children for life after high school!  Let’s talk about the importance of the PSAT!

The PSAT is a test that students should take before taking the SAT and/or the ACT.  The PSAT is given only once a year (in October) and the student’s junior year score is the score that counts towards the National Merit Scholarship.  A student can begin taking the PSAT before the eleventh grade, but the only score that counts towards the National Merit Scholarship is the test taken during the junior year.  Semi-finalists awarded the NMS qualify for full tuition at Bryan College.

The PSAT is not only a “practice” test of sorts, but it is the test that determines National Merit Scholarship awards!!

The PSAT is:

1.  Only given once a year (in October)

2.  Quite affordable ($13 – $25 depending on location)

3.  Offered to students younger than juiniors (as practice)

4.  Offered at most public and private schools

5. To earn a National Merit Scholarship a student has to qualify by scores earned in addition to meeting requirements.

6.  Becoming a NMS finalist is possible for each semi-finalist (a semi-finalist receives full tuition at Bryan College) who completes additional requirements.

The PSAT covers reading, writing, and mathematics. In 2015 the PSAT was changed in a manner similar to the SAT changes.  Homeschooled students can take the PSAT at a public or private high school.  Register your student for this test in September or early October so that a test booklet will be reserved for the student. Some schools require the student to be present at registration and the student must have an acceptable form of ID. This site includes a list of schools where this test is given.

The test is quite affordable, so having high school students take this test is advantageous for many reasons.  Again, it is only offered in October of each year.  Although the score received during the student’s junior year is the score that counts toward the National Merit Scholarship, a student can begin taking this test as early as ninth grade, and perhaps even earlier, depending on the policy of the staff at the facility offering the test.