Financial Aid

FAFSA:

The financial aid process starts with your application for federal aid. In fact, in order to apply for college specific financial aid, you must first complete a Free Application For Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) (www.fafsa.ed.gov).  We expect the 2025-2026 FAFSA form to be available December 1, 2024.  We recommend that you complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after December 1 and do this work yourself. Websites offering to complete your FAFSA for a fee are nearly always scams and should be avoided. If you would like our office to assist you in completing your FAFSA, we would be happy to do so.  If your student is part of a program like Steppingstone or Beacon Academy, these programs may have resources to help you fill out the FAFSA.  In addition, the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators offers a “FAFSA Day” every year. On FAFSA Day, this organization helps families complete and send the FAFSA. The program is free of charge and run almost entirely by volunteers. For more information, see www.masfaa.org. 

Completing the FAFSA:

We expect the 2025-2026 FAFSA to be available starting December 1, 2024.  Initially, it will ask for your financial and tax information from the 2023 tax year in order to determine aid eligibility. Later, you will be asked to submit your 2024 tax returns. It is critical that you fill out and submit the FAFSA early in the application process. The earlier you submit, the more aid will be available at the schools to which your child is applying.  

To complete the FAFSA, you will do the following:

1.  Student and parent obtain FSA IDs  from the federal government: FSA ID. You will need this information to enter your information in the FAFSA.

2. Complete the FAFSA. (www.fafsa.ed.gov)

3. Select up to 10 colleges to whom you would like to send your completed FAFSA form.

4. If there are special circumstances affecting your finances, you must contact the financial aid office at each school to which your student is applying to arrange a personal discussion. 

5. Following completion of the FAFSA, your student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). This report confirms that the FAFSA has been sent. You must keep copies of ALL SARs received. This is your only record of FAFSA activity.  

In addition to the FAFSA, many private colleges also require that you complete what’s called a CSS Profile, https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org. Some private institutions also have their own forms for college based financial aid. Check the websites of the particular schools your sonis interested in to see if the CSS Profile or institution specific forms (or both) are required. Again, we recommend that you complete the CSS Profile early and do this work yourself (or with the assistance of our office or a reputable organization like Steppingstone or Beacon Academy).  Websites offering to assist you in doing these forms for a fee are often scams and should be avoided. 

For a list of all schools using the CSS profile, please see https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatinginstitutions.aspx. The CSS Profile (https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org) requires much of the same information as the FAFSA, along with additional financial information about property owned, retirement savings, stocks, etc. It is quite a bit more detailed than the FAFSA and requires more time and documentary support to complete. In cases where there is a non-custodial parent, most schools will require that parent to fill out the CSS Profile as well, or, in cases where the non-custodial parent is not an active part of the student’s life, a waiver must be completed. 

Once your son has narrowed down the colleges to which he is applying, you can look at the financial aid section of the colleges’ websites to see if there are college specific scholarships he could apply for. In some cases, your student is automatically considered for college specific aid when he applies; in others, additional work is needed. Always apply to the scholarships offered by the colleges to which your son is applying. In addition to need based financial aid, many colleges offer merit aid or scholarships for certain majors or students with certain skills.

Some private institutions also have their own application forms for college based financial aid, and most all schools will also require copies of your most recent year’s tax returns.  Check the websites of the particular schools your student is interested in to see whether institution specific forms are required. Adherence to deadlines and specific requirements for each school is imperative.

Some schools encourage or require you to submit your financial information using IDOC (https://pages/collegeboard.org/idoc), or Institutional Documentation Service, a College Board financial information tool. The main difference between IDOC and FAFSA and the CSS profile is that IDOC allows for direct submission of financial information to colleges through a secure portal. By contrast, the CSS profile and FAFSA collect your information, generate a report and forward that to the colleges. Schools using IDOC will notify you if you have been selected to participate in this system. Most of the time, this selection is generated by your submission of a CSS profile. It is important to note that the use of IDOC does not eliminate the need for you to fill out and submit the FAFSA and CSS profile.