Financial aid is a complicated process that requires many steps. This month-by-month calendar should provide you with enough information to easily navigate through the student loan application process.
January Beginning on January 1, file your FAFSA online. By filing online, your FAFSA will be processed much faster than paper FAFSA applications. Many scholarships also begin accepting applications in January, so start surfing!
There’s been a tremendous amount of news about the student loan and financial aid industry lately. Those who follow the industry know that New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has been pressing settlements or lawsuits to both lenders and colleges, alleging unethical and illegal practices. The headlines have been filled with sensational claims of all kinds – some factual and some probably exaggerated to some extent. Let’s take a balanced look at some of the practices being called into question.
- Revenue sharing. When a college sets up a revenue sharing agreement with a student loan company, the loan company may offer the college a payment based on the loans taken out by that college’s students, usually a percentage of the loan. While some argue that revenue sharing gives colleges more money to work with for defraying administrative costs or funding additional scholarships, it has been deemed a conflict of interest when colleges have a financial incentive to push students to a preferred lender when it may not offer the best benefits or lowest rates.