Getting ready for college is a process--one that starts as soon as one enters high school. It has many steps and many deadlines. The good news: There are resources to help you stay organized. Talk to your college advisor, and use the resources in this guide to get information and to identify test dates and other important deadlines. Make your…

This document provides a step-by-step guide to completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 1999-2000. Introductory information notes the availability of electronic versions of the FAFSA, requirements of renewal applications, and general instructions on form completion. Then the application process is broken down into six…

This fact sheet, an update of a report published in 1987, provides an overview of the financial aid system for postsecondary education. It covers the various types of financial aid, the technical words and phrases used to discuss it, and the process involved in its disbursement. The fact sheet discusses the roles and responsibilities of those who…

This is a Congressional hearing to review and receive comment on H.R. 6190, legislation that would amend Title 38, United States Code, to exempt GI bill educational benefits from the determination of a veteran's eligibility for Federal educational benefits. Testimony includes statements, prepared statements, letters, and supplemental materials…

The impact of changing the definition of independent student status on demand for student financial aid funds is assessed. The current definition of independent students is based on: the amount of money received from parents, living separate from parents, and not being claimed as a dependent on the parents' federal income tax form. Two proposals…

Following a brief critical review of the federally sponsored student loan system, this paper develops fundamental principles for overhauling the system and creating an Educational Credit Trust. This federally chartered corporation would determine lender eligibility requirements, monitor lenders' financial performance, and sanction student loan…

To utilize automated technology for student aid processing, it is necessary to work with multi-institutional offices (student aid, admissions, registration, and business) and to develop automated interfaces with external processing systems at state and federal agencies and perhaps at need-analysis organizations and lenders. (MLW)

This guide is intended to help educational institutions counsel students and parents about consolidation of federal education loans for borrowers in repayment, borrowers in default, and borrowers who are still in school. Through consolidation, borrowers may combine various types of federal education loans, including direct loans and loans made…

The California State University, Fresno financial aid office developed an income matrix to determine whether a dependent student would be eligible for a maximum Basic Grant award. The matrix can be derived in a few hours, used throughout the academic year, and can reduce man-hours needed to re-compute indexes. (JMD)

This paper offers information and analysis of the direct lending portion of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The direct lending proposal is described in an opening letter to the reader as a provision that would make the Pell Grant Program an entitlement and raise the maximum award to $4,500 with provisions that would…

Hearings of the Committee on Education and Labor on the proposed Student Loan Assistance Amendments of 1982 are presented. The bill (S. 2655) is designed to provide increased maximum limitations for student loans under Part B of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 for certain students who lost benefits under the Social Security Act as a…

New procedures for the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program that must be followed for the 1978-79 academic year are presented. Financial aid administrators must follow these procedures to validate Office of Education selected Student Eligibility Reports. A uniform method of validating both Student Eligibility Reports not selected by the…

An analysis of the language and format of the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) Application and the Financial Aid Form (FAF) is reported. The first section details the background for the study including the design of the project. Section 2 focuses on an analysis of the forms including such areas as a comparison of the content of the two…

The latitude (professional judgment) aid administrators might exercise in departing from the need analysis formula for campus-based financial award purposes is discussed. Three areas are discussed: politics, practice, and principles. (MLW)

The College Scholarship Service (CSS) Council Task Force on Reauthorization presented its recommendations to the CSS Council in December 2002. The Task Force focused its recommendations on issues that address the overarching goal of ensuring access to higher education for the most needy students. The recommendations reflect the consensus of CSS…