Jump to page content

Financial Aid EasyPlanner

My EasyPlanner

Sign Up
Create a free account.

Sign in to save or retrieve your EasyPlanner information.



Articles

Cost

Savings

Paying

Scholarships

Aid

Loans

Compare

  1. Step 1
  2. Step 2
  3. Step 3
  4. Step 4
  5. Step 5
  6. Step 6
  7. Step 7

Step 5: How do I apply for financial aid and loans?

Financial aid is intended to make up the difference between what your family can afford to pay and what college costs. Over half of the students currently enrolled in college receive some sort of financial aid to help pay college costs.

The financial aid system is based on the goal of equal access — that anyone should be able to attend college, regardless of financial circumstances. Over half of the students currently enrolled in college receive some sort of financial aid to help pay college costs. Here's how the system works: Students and their families are expected to contribute to the cost of college to the extent that they're able. If your family is unable to contribute the entire cost, financial aid is available to bridge the gap. (If you've gone through Step 3 of the EasyPlanner, you already have an estimate of what you might be expected to contribute.)

FAFSA

All students applying for federal student aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. You can submit the FAFSA any time after January 1 of your application year. For more information about FAFSA, follow this link: Learn more about FAFSA. Note that this link will take you out of the EasyPlanner tool.

PROFILE

In addition to FAFSA, many schools require the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. CSS/Financial Aid PROFILEŽ is the financial aid application service of the College Board. More than 600 colleges, universities, graduate and professional schools, and scholarship programs use the information collected on the PROFILE to determine eligibility for nonfederal student aid funds. The PROFILE is a fully Web-based application system that provides students a secure and efficient method for reporting their financial data to schools. For more information about CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, follow this link: Learn more about CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. Note that this link will take you out of the EasyPlanner tool.

Previous Next