Nitro Knowledge. Your Guide to Paying for College.
Guess-timating how much financial aid you'll get for college is super hard. In fact, most people are way off in their guesses, as we'll explain in a minute. But when your financial future is on the line, it's important to be as accurate as possible.
So if you're looking for some hard numbers to work with, here's your cheat sheet: The average financial aid amount was about $8,500 for students who filed the FAFSA in the 2015-16 academic year. Let's take a closer at how financial aid shakes out for most people.
Should you fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) even if you think you won't qualify for aid? Do you need to reapply every year? Is the FAFSA even worth your time? Most importantly, are you holding FAFSA misconceptions that are costing you money?
Take the quiz below to test your FAFSA IQ.
If you're planning on taking out a loan to help pay for college, you may be wondering if a Direct PLUS Loan (also called the Parent PLUS Loan) is the way to go. Here, we'll tell you everything you need to know about Parent PLUS loans so you can decide if they're a good deal for you. We'll cover:
A Parent PLUS Loan is a federal student loan offered by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) under the Direct Loan Program.
You may qualify for this loan if your dependent child is an undergraduate student and enrolled at least half-time in an eligible program. If you qualify, a line of credit goes directly to you, not your child. That means you are responsible for paying back the loan.
Senior year is often depicted as a time to savor memories from high school and brace for adulthood. The reality is that many seniors feel overwhelmed as they prepare for college.
If that's you, we're here to help. We've compiled a senior year checklist for October through December. This should help you stay on track and not miss any important deadlines to ensure that you actually have time to enjoy senior year.
