Paying for College

Most families meet the cost of college as a single overwhelming number. It is not. It is a sequence of decisions, each with its own deadline and its own set of documents, and each one is manageable on its own.

This is the Pay stage of the college path. It covers everything from your first federal aid form through comparing offers and understanding what you are actually being asked to borrow. Start with the step you are on.

Where are you right now?

You have not filed the FAFSA yet

Start here. The FAFSA is the gateway to federal aid, most state aid, and a large share of institutional aid. Filing it is not optional if you want your student considered for anything beyond merit scholarships.

• FAFSA Checklist for Parents — gather everything before you open the form
• How to Fill Out the FAFSA — the walkthrough, section by section

You have filed and want to understand the result

• Student Aid Index Explained — what the number means, and what it does not

You are comparing offers

Coming soon. Award letters are deliberately hard to compare; we are building the framework that makes them comparable.

The one deadline that matters

The federal FAFSA deadline is generous. Your state’s deadline and your colleges’ deadlines are not, and they are the ones that control most of the money. Many states award aid first-come, first-served until funds run out.

Treat the earliest deadline on your student’s college list as your real deadline. Everything else is a backstop.

Your next step

Download the Parent FAFSA Prep Toolkit and complete the document roundup before the form opens on October 1. Families who gather first finish in one sitting.