FAFSA Completion Tool Adds New Data

​The Department of Education continues to track student FAFSA data in an effort to increase completion rates, and now counselors can easily compare this year’s data with the numbers from the same time last year. The FAFSA Completion tool provides an Excel spreadsheet with data on all public and private school districts by state. 

The tool supports efforts to encourage all students, regardless of their aid expectations, to at least fill out the application. The application is the only way for the federal government to allot aid, so students have to play to win. 

According to the Department, there are at least five good reasons to fill out the form: 

1. It’s the only way to gain access to the more than $150 billion available in federal student aid. 
2. It’s FREE!
3. It’s easier than ever. (The online application now includes an IRS Data Retrieval Tool)
4. It only takes about 30 minutes to complete. 
5. More people qualify than you’d think. 

In addition to the publicly accessible FAFSA information, the Department has been experimenting with a prototype that would allow counselors to match the completion data to individual students, a feature that many counselors have requested. Only 92 school districts are participating in the pilot program. 

According to Dena Bates, the Federal Student Aid lead on the Completion Project, there are currently no plans to expand the program, at least not until the evaluation stage is complete. “I think the national evaluation will help determine the future of the project,” she said. 

HOW TO COPE WITH DEFERRED TO REGULAR ADMISSIONS?

If you find yourself worrying about the early action, early decision process and you have been deferred to regular admissions, there are still things you can do to boost your standing.

Perhaps you rushed through your applications as many students do, omitted items, did not re-read your essays, did not check your grammar and spelling, or failed to mention something important that is unique to you.....  now is the time to do it!

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of our FREE Deferral Plan,  sign up here Free Deferral Plan
or email us at counselor@thecollegeadmissionsconsultant.com

Revisions to Cal Grants Disqualify Many For-Profit Schoolss to Cal Grants Disqualify Many For-Profit School

The state of California recently adopted new eligibility standards for colleges participating in the Cal Grant program. Cal Grants allot funds to California high school graduates for the purpose of attending a qualifying in-state college or university. The new rules require institutions to keep their cohort default rates below 15.5 percent and their graduation rates above 30 percent.  This was good news for all California School Students!  These are 4th and 5th tier schools that charge more money than the most expensive colleges in the country and leave their students unable to find careers in what they have studied or make the kind of money they were promised, which causes students to default on their loans.

You know these schools----  you hear their ads on the radio and TV all day long.  University of Phoenix, National University, Westwood College, and others.

The changes reflect a growing concern over the legitimacy of some postsecondary institutions, primarily in the for-profit sector. As investigations into for-profit postsecondary institutional practices continue, misleading practices leading to poor graduation rates and higher levels of debt among students continue to surface. In light of these concerns, coupled with unprecedented growth in Cal Grant costs, the state of California recently enacted the two new changes to its institutional Cal Grant eligibility standards.

The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), the agency responsible for managing Cal Grants, revised its list of eligible schools and rescinded eligibility for 154 institutions. The ineligible schools comprise 35 percent of all institutions and more than 80 percent of for-profit schools participating in the Cal Grant program in recent years.


CSAC already had begun awarding grants for the 2011-12 academic year. Some of these grants were to new students at newly ineligible institutions, CASC officials reported. New students, most of which had already decided where to attend school, did not receive notification to transfer to another institution until early May that year. Similarly, continuing students at ineligible institutions weren’t notified until May that their award amount would decrease by 20 percent. Whether it was due to the timing or some other factor, it is predicted that about 1,000 students (31 percent) who would normally have used their Cal Grant in 2011-12 did not do so.

In the short term, students have fewer college choices, however in the long term, eligibility changes could improve outcomes for Cal Grant recipients as students shift to eligible schools and institutions improve their outcomes.  Based on information provided in February 2012, savings for the 2011-12 school year were on track to meet the target of $10.7 million. With the new changes, savings were projected to reach $55 million in 2012-13. Early indications are that savings will fall at least $5 million short, however CSAC has not provided data to update actual savings. Savings are projected to increase in subsequent years.

If you need assistance, we can help you... check us out at www.thecollegeadmissionsconsultant.com

FINANCIAL AID

FINANCIAL AID OVERVIEW

If you're exploring options for paying for college, see Find Aid. You'll learn about the various kinds of financial aid (loans, grants, and work-study), how to apply, common myths, and more.
Financial aid professionals at banks, colleges, guaranty agencies, and other postsecondary or lending institutions will want to see our online library of technical publications, regulations, and policy guidance on the administration of the student financial assistance programs.
If you're looking for grant information not related to student aid, please see Grants and Contracts.

Additionally, make sure you file your "VERIFICATION" by March 2, 2013 and send it either certified or with a USPS "Proof of Mailing"

Features

Federal Student Aid

If you're planning for college and looking for financial aid, start here.GO >

Apply for College Aid

Apply here. More than 9 million students get an ED grant or loan each year.GO >

Consider Consolidating

Consider consolidating your loans -- rates have never been lower. GO >

Check Your Aid History

If you have a Pell Grant, Stafford Loan, PLUS Loan, or Consolidation Loan, find out all the details.GO >

For Aid Professionals

Most ED financial aid services for schools are now electronic. Find all our services here, as well as systems manuals, policies, and requirements for the aid office. GO >

COLLEGES ARE NOW LOOKING AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS!

As we looked at the college applications this year with our students who came from all over the world, we noticed that there were some changes.  

The first thing that we noticed is that for students from foreign countries, more documentation is being required, such as picture IDs, Video Presentations, etc.  The other change that we noticed was that schools like the UCs are now looking at the middle school records.  Additionally, some schools that would accept a transfer in the spring semester, are moving away from that idea and only accepting for admission into  September.

As we wind down the 2013, we are now signing up the Class of 2014, knowing that the competition for next year will be even more so.  It is not that there are more students going to college, that percentage has dropped some in recent years, but what we are seeing is that more students are applying to more schools. 

If you are in the 11th grade, this is the time to start your application process.  The longer you wait, the more difficult and more stressful the process becomes.  If you are looking for help, check out our website ---  

The College Admissions Consultant

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H.S JUNIORS SHOULD START COLLEGE APPS NOW

A few days ago, I received a call from a high school senior who asked if I could help him. He needed help with his essay.  I listened to what he had to say....  At the end of his story,  I asked him how many essays he had written,,  " W-E-L-L...... none" he replied with college apps due in about three weeks... at least for the University of California.. " I have a couple of more weeks to complete  of  the others." he went on to say.

"I have talked to department heads at USC"  he exclaimed as though it was an acceptance...  I had to break to break the news that we had to first figure out who he was and then  look at colleges...  " we must match you to the school... not the school to you"---  and so we will be working feverishly for the next 3-5 weeks putting his applications in.   We talked about letters of recommendation.. " My counselor told me it is a form letter that they send electronically"   Maybe hers is, but  he had no idea of how to ask for letters of recommendations or by whom.... and now most schools are the Naviance E-Doc system.

What about test scores?  Luckily,  all was complete... but we still had to prepare on submitting the scores.

Have you toured schools?...." Well two I have seen"...he said in a confused way.....  I told to go online and tour schools get a feel for where he was going to apply.  He had no idea if the schools he was looking at were right for him or even offered they even offered his major.


So---- ATTENTION JUNIORS!  If you are preparing for college.. now is the time to start your college applications now!  Now is the time to take your SAT or ACT s---    now is time  to  take the  SAT subject tests.--- as well as the AP tests.   Now is the to start looking at schools, and to look towarrd college essays. Don't wait till it is too late and lose out on an opportunity of a life time. The 11th grade will be stressful, but this is when the bulk of the work has to be done.  Every year students wait till they are starting the applications before calling for help.  The best applications are the ones that are given time and thought too.

We help students from the 9th grade on prepare their college applications.   We offer HAND CRAFTED SAT, ACT, and TOEFL prep.   We offer ISEE Prep classes too, and we have tutors who can work with you in person, or work with you from the comfort of your home at your time.

Let us help you get a head start with your college applications!  Check out our website ---  The College Admissions Consultant