Category Archives: paying for college

FAFSA, financial aid, financial planning, paying for college

The 2027–28 FAFSA Is Here: What’s Different This Year?

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2027-28 FAFSA

If you’ve filled out the FAFSA in the past, you may be wondering:

What’s actually different about this year’s FAFSA?

The 2027–28 FAFSA is now available, and while it isn’t the dramatic overhaul we saw when the FAFSA was redesigned a few years ago, there are several changes parents and students should know about.

The U.S. Department of Education says the latest updates are designed to make the form easier to understand, reduce errors and rejected applications, and make the process smoother for families.

If you’re a parent of a high school senior applying to college for fall 2027, here’s what you need to know before you start.

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FAFSA, financial aid, financial planning, paying for college

The 2027–28 FAFSA Is Open: What Parents Need to Know Before Filing

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If you have a high school senior heading to college in fall 2027, it’s time to add one more important item to your college-planning checklist: the FAFSA is open.

Yes, already.

The 2027–28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available. This is the FAFSA students will use to apply for financial aid for the 2027–28 academic year, which runs from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028.

If you’re a parent who has been through the FAFSA process before, you may be thinking, Didn’t we just do this?

Pretty much. The FAFSA is something families generally complete every year a student wants to be considered for federal financial aid.

And if this is your first time, don’t panic. The process can feel intimidating, but getting organized before you begin can make it much easier.

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admissions, college prep, financial aid, paying for college, scholarships

Colleges Offering Free Tuition: What “Tuition-Free” Really Means for Families

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colleges offering free tuition

When parents hear the words “free college tuition,” it’s easy to picture a college bill that comes to $0.

And while there are colleges where students can attend without paying tuition, “tuition-free” and “college-free” are not necessarily the same thing.

That distinction matters.

College costs go far beyond tuition. Families may still have to pay for housing, meals, books, transportation, health insurance, fees, and personal expenses. The federal government defines a college’s cost of attendance as including expenses such as tuition, fees, books and supplies, food, and housing. It also points out that cost of attendance isn’t necessarily what a family actually pays. The student’s financial aid offer and resulting net price are much more important.

So, if your college-bound teen is searching for colleges offering free tuition, don’t stop at the words “free tuition.”

Look at the entire financial picture.

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