How to Pay for College: Financial Aid in 90 Seconds

We normally start talking about financial aid in October, when the FAFSA opens and students are applying early to their favorite colleges.

But 2023 was different. This year, we are waiting for a new (and hopefully improved) FAFSA to become available on December 31.

For an overview of financial aid, including how financial need is defined and where to find academic merit scholarships, view my 90-second video below:

I hope that was helpful! I’ll be back with a FAFSA update in January, when we see how the new form is working.

More resources:

• FAFSA.gov

• studentaid.gov/aid-estimator

• disscholared.org

• cssprofile.collegeboard.org*

• jsmithiec.com (That's me!)

*Alternative to the FAFSA (required by some colleges).