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The past 180 days of articles are displayed below.
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Tip of the Week
April 17, 2024
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"4 reasons why you need to complete the FAFSA" flyer updated
April 11, 2024
To help high school educators and college access professionals communicate with students about the importance of the 2024-25 FAFSA, Mapping Your Future created the "4 reasons why you should complete the FAFSA" flyer.
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2024-25 FAFSA presentations scheduled
April 11, 2024
Share information with your students and parents about the April 16 and April 19 presentations.
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A peek at this week's updated FAFSA records release to schools
April 11, 2024
Financial aid professionals are getting a look at what's in their future - at least with regards to updated student files.
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Department issues guidelines for awarding aid based on student FAFSA record with errors
April 11, 2024
Financial aid professionals have some leeway in awarding financial aid when it comes to using student records - as long as some guidelines are met.
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Early Awareness E-News-Special FAFSA Issue
April 11, 2024
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
April 11, 2024
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Students begin receiving FAFSA Submission Summaries but can't make corrections yet
April 11, 2024
The Department of Education began processing FAFSAs in March and some students have received their FAFSA Submission Summaries.
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Push to increase FAFSA completion before graduation
April 10, 2024
For high school seniors, the next few weeks will be critical to getting their FAFSA completed.
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Tip of the Week
April 10, 2024
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Close your week with the latest in FAFSA news from the Department of Education
April 09, 2024
It's probably becoming a regular part of your Friday afternoons, but just in case you need a reminder - the Department of Education will provide its weekly update for financial aid professionals again this week.
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Think twice before you answer "yes" to this FAFSA question
April 09, 2024
Among the problems facing students and parents with the 2024-25 FAFSA are the wording of some of the questions.
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Servicing changes for borrowers seeking Public Service Loan Forgiveness
April 03, 2024
Borrowers on track to receive Public Service Loan Forgiveness will soon see some changes in how their loans are serviced.
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Tip of the Week
April 03, 2024
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Early Awareness E-News
April 01, 2024
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April tasks for high school seniors
March 31, 2024
As your senior year winds down, don't let yourself become distracted by solely focusing on celebrating graduation - stay focused and finish your high school career strong.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
March 28, 2024
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Addressing those other items on your to-do list
March 27, 2024
The FAFSA is getting a lot of our attention and rightfully so.
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Tip of the Week
March 27, 2024
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"What financial aid professionals should know about student loan repayment plans" webinar recording available
March 26, 2024
In the March 20 webinar, student loan expert Betsy Mayotte of TISLA provided valuable information to webinar attendees.
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Mapping Your Future offers a variety of financial literacy tools
March 26, 2024
During Financial Literacy Month in April, Mapping Your Future encourages you to use its financial literacy tools and share the tools and resources with your students.
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The key to your FAFSA status
March 26, 2024
It's no longer just a matter of "done" or "not done" when considering the status of your financial aid application.
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Book your time - but no travel - for the 2024 FSA Conference
March 25, 2024
Once again, it's time to book your virtual space for the 2024 Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals.
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Department reminds financial aid professionals where to find FAFSA Simplification updates
March 25, 2024
Just in case you were afraid to ask, there's a place where you can find everything you always wanted to know about FAFSA Simplification.
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Tip of the Week
March 20, 2024
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Counselors have important role in navigating 2024-25 FAFSA
March 14, 2024
School counselors are essential to helping students access financial aid for college, according to a February 6 article on the Brookings Institution website.
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Deadline nearing to apply for waiver of Federal Work Study community service requirements
March 14, 2024
Institutions who won't be able to meet the community service requirements of the Federal Work Study program have until next month to request a waiver.
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Department issues software update to resolve ISIR import issue
March 14, 2024
Importing ISIRs has been a top priority for many financial aid professionals this week, but errors were preventing any progress on that goal.
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FAFSA contributor update listserv available
March 14, 2024
The U.S. Department of Education is making improvements to the StudentAid.gov account creation process for those without Social Security numbers.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
March 14, 2024
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Jobs requiring bachelor's degrees expected to increase the fastest in the next decade
March 13, 2024
Jobs that require a bachelor's degree are expected to grow faster than average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.
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Tip of the Week
March 13, 2024
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Tip of the Week
March 06, 2024
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Contributing to a student's FAFSA - what to do when the invite isn't received
March 01, 2024
Sure, sometimes high school students don't want to invite their parents to something, but in the case of the FAFSA, most students need to invite their parents.
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Early Awareness E-News
March 01, 2024
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Mapping Your Future offers free career planning information, resources
March 01, 2024
Career planning happens year-round but special attention was paid to the topic in February, which was Career and Technical Education month.
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Three reasons a FAFSA filer won't need to report assets
March 01, 2024
The asset information required and who has to report assets will change beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA.
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Days like this
February 29, 2024
Something that comes along only every four years deserves some recognition.
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Important new volume in the FSA Handbook series now available
February 29, 2024
For those collectors of financial aid reading materials, the latest volumes of the 2024-2025 Federal Student Aid Handbook have been released by the Department of Education.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
February 29, 2024
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March tasks for high school seniors
February 29, 2024
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More partner support for implementation of the 2024-25 FAFSA
February 29, 2024
Additional support is always welcome, and that's especially true right now.
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Tip of the Week
February 28, 2024
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Six things you should check on your FAFSA Submission Summary
February 26, 2024
It may be a few weeks before you see your 2024-25 FAFSA Submission Summary, but it's not too early to learn a little more about this important financial aid document.
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Department offers training videos for financial aid professionals
February 23, 2024
Financial aid professionals may not have a lot of time to spare for training right now, but sometimes it's absolutely necessary.
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Important steps to try before deleting a 2024-25 FAFSA
February 23, 2024
When all else fails, sometimes it's best to just best to start over but not give up.
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Tip of the Week
February 21, 2024
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"What financial aid professionals should know about student loan repayment plans" webinar scheduled
February 15, 2024
Student loan repayment plans, including the new SAVE plan, are on that long list of things for financial aid professionals to know and share with student borrowers.
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Department of Education implements strategy to help institutions with implementation of new FAFSA
February 15, 2024
To alleviate some of the issues with implementation of the 2024-25 FAFSA, the Department of Education developed what it is calling the FAFSA College Support Strategy, and this week announced further steps it will take to help institutions.
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FAFSA corrections or updates need to wait - for now
February 15, 2024
If you have submitted your 2024-25 FAFSA and then decided you wanted to add another college or correct a mistake, you'll need to wait a few weeks.
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Guidelines issued on using federal financial aid for competency-based programs
February 15, 2024
Traditional postsecondary programs may not work for every student and for every career and, as such, more and more schools are considering alternative programs.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
February 15, 2024
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Reminder about President's Day holiday closings
February 15, 2024
The Department of Education is among the federal offices closed on Monday, February 19 in observance of Washington's Birthday, also known as the President's Day federal holiday.
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U.S. Senate sets up FAFSA complaint hotline
February 15, 2024
It's a digital complaint box of sorts.
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Helping students with 2024-25 FAFSA are top concern of financial aid professionals
February 14, 2024
Of all the worries about the 2024-25 FAFSA, financial aid professionals are most concerned about the problems encountered by students trying to complete the form.
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Press Release: Helping students with 2024-25 FAFSA are top concern of financial aid professionals
February 14, 2024
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Tip of the Week
February 14, 2024
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
February 07, 2024
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Tip of the Week
February 07, 2024
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Celebrating National School Counseling Week February 5-9
February 01, 2024
A week-long celebration of school counseling is much deserved but almost too short – considering how much school counselors assist students and families throughout the entire year.
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Early Awareness E-News
February 01, 2024
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Four components of a good college financial plan
February 01, 2024
It is understandable - that overwhelmed feeling you get when thinking about how to pay for college.
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Important questions to ask yourself before applying for a scholarship
February 01, 2024
Students should apply for as many scholarships as possible.
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Pell Grant amount unchanged for 2024-25 - for now
February 01, 2024
Students qualifying for Pell Grant funds in the 2024-25 academic year will not see an increase in the award amounts, unless Congress acts on the funding.
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Reminder issued about winter weather and impact on loan servicers
February 01, 2024
No matter what the groundhog predicts tomorrow, the financial aid industry must prepare for six more weeks of winter.
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The real reason admission and scholarship essays are so hard to write
February 01, 2024
It's not that you don't want to write the essay.
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February tasks for high school seniors
January 31, 2024
It's just a few, busy months away from graduation for high school seniors.
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Federal Student Aid schedules series of financial aid webinars
January 31, 2024
Students, parents, and college access professionals may be interested in attending some webinars on financial aid and the FAFSA, to be presented by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
January 31, 2024
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Strategies for making the most of scholarship applications webinar recording available
January 31, 2024
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Tip of the Week
January 31, 2024
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More 2024-25 FAFSA delays for students, parents, and schools
January 30, 2024
Students may not receive financial aid offers until sometime after mid-March, based on 2024-25 FAFSA timeline changes announced today by the U.S. Department of Education.
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Solving the issue of no parent invite
January 30, 2024
Among the issues reported with the new FAFSA is the missing parent invite – making it impossible for the parent to contribute to the student's financial aid form.
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Deadlines for schools participating in campus-based programs
January 25, 2024
There are more deadlines to add to the calendar for those institutions participating in campus-based financial aid programs.
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Tip of the Week
January 24, 2024
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2024-25 FAFSA Issue Alerts updated
January 18, 2024
If you want to know about what is going on with the 2024-25 FAFSA, there's a web page for that.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
January 18, 2024
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Soft launch of FAFSA has some rough spots
January 18, 2024
The 2024-25 FAFSA is now available, and while it will eventually be easier for many to complete, some students and parents have encountered errors or faced a roadblock.
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Training for new employees in the financial aid office
January 18, 2024
With the start of the new year, a new job may be among the list of goals for many people.
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Understanding taxes webinar recording available
January 18, 2024
Financial aid is in the midst of some of the most dramatic changes in the industry in decades.
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Tip of the Week
January 17, 2024
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New "In Review" Status for FAFSA
January 15, 2024
There's a new status for students who have successfully submitted their 2024-25 FAFSA.
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The key to receiving financial aid – your FSA ID
January 15, 2024
An FSA ID is the first step to receiving money for college and it's critical to many actions related to federal financial aid.
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What to know about the 2024-25 FAFSA
January 12, 2024
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Tip of the Week
January 10, 2024
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Changes have been made to FAFSA
January 08, 2024
Here's what you should know. - Interview with News 12 New York
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February deadline for schools seeking waiver of campus funding underuse penalty
January 04, 2024
Those colleges and universities that didn't use all of their funding for campus-based programs have a few more weeks to apply of waiver of the underuse penalty.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
January 04, 2024
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New financial aid terms to add to your vocabulary
January 04, 2024
With the release of the new 2024-25 FAFSA, our vocabulary is being expanded.
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Establishing a StudentAid.gov account without a Social Security number
January 03, 2024
Anyone, whether they have a Social Security number or not, will now be able to set up an account at StudentAid.gov and contribute information to a student's FAFSA.
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Five reasons to look forward to the end of holiday break
January 03, 2024
After a long (and hopefully fun and relaxing) holiday break, it may be a little challenging to get back to school and work.
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Mandatory testing (for some schools) of financial aid awarding system
January 03, 2024
It's only a requirement for a select few schools, but any school can participate in testing the Department of Education's financial aid origination and disbursement system for the 2024-25 award year.
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Tip of the Week
January 03, 2024
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2024-25 FAFSA available, but students shouldn't rush to complete it
January 02, 2024
The 2024-25 FAFSA is now available, and although many students and parents anxiously awaited its release, they may want to wait a little bit longer to attempt completing it.
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Early Awareness E-News
January 02, 2024
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January tasks for high school seniors
January 01, 2024
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New FAFSA form launches December 31st
December 26, 2023
Interview with 21 WFMJ, Youngstown, OH
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Tip of the Week
December 20, 2023
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Strategies for making the most of scholarship applications webinar scheduled for students, parents
December 19, 2023
When it comes to getting money for college, scholarships can be critical.
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Calculating assets for the 2024-25 FAFSA
December 14, 2023
While several steps have been taken to simplify the 2024-25 FAFSA, there are concerns that calculating the value of assets will become more complicated.
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Compliance reminder issued by Department - possibly prompted by staffing shortages
December 14, 2023
No pressure – but the Department of Education is reminding institutions of their program participation responsibilities especially when it comes to the issue of compliance.
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Department removed access to unconfirmed mailboxes and accounts
December 14, 2023
If you're having trouble getting into your account with the Department of Education, you may have had your access removed.
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FAFSA delay and impact on financial aid deadlines
December 14, 2023
Although many students are parents are anxiously awaiting the release of the 2024-25 FAFSA, they should have plenty of time to complete it once it is available at the end of December.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
December 14, 2023
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Understanding taxes webinar scheduled
December 14, 2023
Financial aid is in the midst of some of the most dramatic changes in the industry in decades.
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A gift from a stranger
December 13, 2023
There are some gifts you just can't refuse – even if you don't know why at the time.
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Institutions reminded to report foreign ownership and contracts
December 13, 2023
If you are marking important dates for 2024, you may want to note the deadline to file a disclosure report with the Secretary of Education.
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Tip of the Week
December 13, 2023
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All is calm – a good time for training
December 11, 2023
If you find yourself stuck at the office while everyone else is out on holiday, one way to deal with it is to embrace the quiet.
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#BetterFAFSA
December 06, 2023
It's a critical step for success.
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Tip of the Week
December 06, 2023
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December tasks for high school seniors
December 01, 2023
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Early Awareness E-News
December 01, 2023
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Financial aid offer changing with new FAFSA
November 30, 2023
Financial aid offers will look a little different next year.
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Five important things you should know about financial aid for graduate school
November 30, 2023
For many students, pursuing a graduate or professional degree can provide important career advantages, but for some students the advanced degree is not possible without financial aid.
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Five things you should know about the 2024-25 FAFSA
November 30, 2023
The better prepared you are for the new FAFSA, the easier it will be to complete.
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For a successful future, seniors must develop these five traits
November 30, 2023
Graduation is a significant milestone for high school students.
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Mapping Your Future 2024 holiday calendar
November 30, 2023
At Mapping Your Future, we look forward to working with students, families, schools, our Sponsors, and others in 2024.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
November 30, 2023
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Four things a high school junior should do now to prepare for the future
November 29, 2023
Although high school juniors in most cases shouldn't complete the FAFSA until their senior year, there's still plenty of things they can be doing to prepare for education after high school.
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Happy holidays from Mapping Your Future
November 29, 2023
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Tip of the Week
November 29, 2023
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Displaying your accomplishments
November 27, 2023
Winter break is a good time to get caught up on projects that are harder to find time for during the school year.
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More than 400 institutions placed on heightened oversight by Department
November 27, 2023
Nearly half of postsecondary institutions placed in a special payment monitoring status are for-profit institutions, according to data released recently by the Department of Education.
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Completing the FAFSA webinar recording available
November 21, 2023
Students and parents joined Mapping Your Future for the Completing the 2024-25 FAFSA webinar for guidance on how to complete the newly redesigned FAFSA.
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Tip of the Week
November 21, 2023
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2024-25 FAFSA available by December 31, 2023
November 15, 2023
Although the release of the FAFSA is later than usual, a December 31 release date does meet the requirements of the FAFSA Simplification legislation.
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Early Awareness E-News-Special Issue
November 15, 2023
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News - Special Issue
November 15, 2023
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Tip of the Week
November 15, 2023
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Insight into Borrower Defense claims
November 09, 2023
Financial aid professionals received some explanation this week into the borrower defense applications they've been receiving over the past few months.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
November 09, 2023
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Schools are being reminded again to upgrade software to handle Federal Tax Information
November 09, 2023
Even though you don't need it just yet, you will soon.
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Five things your institution's administration (and maybe your family too) should know about FAFSA simplification
November 08, 2023
It's been the focus of our attention for the past few years, but for those who don't work in financial aid, FAFSA simplification is news to them right now.
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Tip of the Week
November 08, 2023
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Early Awareness E-News
November 01, 2023
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November tasks for high school seniors
November 01, 2023
During your senior year, you will finalize your college choice.
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Set up your FSA ID flyer updated
November 01, 2023
With the delay of the release of the 2024-25 FAFSA until December 2023, now is the time to get ready to act when it is released.
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Tip of the Week
November 01, 2023
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Students "invite" parents to FAFSA under new process
October 31, 2023
Students completing the 2024-25 FAFSA will "invite" parents to contribute to their FAFSA.
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A four-step process for completing the 2024-25 FAFSA
October 26, 2023
With FAFSA Simplification being the biggest change to federal financial aid in 40 years, you can expect that the 2024-25 FAFSA process will be different.
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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News
October 26, 2023
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Department of Education posts names of persons disbarred or suspended
October 25, 2023
If you do something to get suspended or debarred by the Department of Education, you should also expect your name to be publicly reported.
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Four things to like about the new FAFSA
October 25, 2023
We don't live in a perfect world and FAFSA Simplification may be proof of that.
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Information about school eligibility and operations added to 2023-24 Federal Student Aid Handbook
October 25, 2023
With the addition of another volume to the Federal Student Aid Handbook, financial aid professionals can now catch up on the latest instructions on managing the Direct Loan Program.
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Reminder about Veterans Day holiday closings
October 25, 2023
The Department of Education is among the federal offices closed on Friday, November 10 in observance of the Veterans Day federal holiday on November 11.
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Tip of the Week
October 25, 2023