RoadFish.com mens lifestyle and finance magazine today urged parents and students to go through with FAFSA filing, even if they believe that their financial bracket will not qualify them for financial aid. RoadFish.com commented on the average amount of student loan debt today, and how getting state and/or federal aid and low-interest loans in the present can lower students hefty loans in the future. FAFSA is linked to most of the countrys federal and state grants, and counts as a prerequisite for federally subsidized loans.

The FAFSA, which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, determines students and families eligibility for financial aid, including the Pell Grant, federal work-study programs, and federal subsidized student loans which carry a lower interest rate than private loans. The FAFSA application offers students consideration for nine federal student-aid programs and 605 state aid programs.

Mandi Woodruff of the Business Insider reports that FAFSA form is six pages long and includes a total of 153 questionsmore than twice the number found on a federal tax form. In an interview with Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Finaid.org and Fastweb.com, Kantrowitz offered some FAFSA tips such as not waiting until after youve filed your taxes to file for FAFSA, getting marital statuses straight on the application, making sure not to miscalculate certain assets, and above all never to fudge information. Kantrowitz stated that the U.S. Department of Education and the IRS are working hand in hand to crack down on families who provide fraudulent information on their FAFSA applications, and under-report their taxable income to try to obtain more aid. The current fraud rate is 4-5%, which the IRS and Dept. of Education hopes to lower in the coming year.

RoadFish.coms Senior staff writer is quoted as saying, Its absurd the amount of debt students walk away from school with these days. It is just so, so crucial to obtain as much aid, scholarships, and grants as you can to help minimize your financial responsibility after graduation. Your best shot at that is FAFSA. Even if you think you wont qualify for much or anything at all, you sure as heck wont get anything if you dont apply. Do it! Its a pain in the butt form, and a few hours out of your life, but it could save you and your kids a bunch of money.

The U.S. Department of Education begins accepting FAFSA applications on January 1st each year, and the federal deadline is June 30th. Since most aid is provided on a first-come, first-serve basis, many families are scrambling to turn in their forms in than the June deadline this year. FAFSAonline.com recommends turning in the FAFSA paperwork as early as possible to maximize eligibility for aid. Though the federal deadline is not for a few more months, certain states, such as Maryland, Oklahoma, and Montana, have deadlines as early as March 1st to apply for state aid. Check FAFSAs website for a complete list of states and deadlines, as they vary state to state.

RoadFish.com feels that escaping college with as little debt as possible starts with filling out a FAFSA form, and stated, Were in dire enough economic times as it is. Unemployment is high, credit report scores are low, debt is through the roof. Its a crime that college is as expensive as it is, but as students and parents of students, its your responsibility to make wise financial decisions in the present that can dramatically impact your future.

The FAFSA form should be prepared each year by both current and prospective undergrad and graduate college students, and applicants who filled out and filed a FAFSA the year before are able to submit a renewal FAFSA form for the upcoming year.

About Roadfish

RoadFish.com is an online men’s lifestyle and finance magazine targeted toward men in their 30s and 40s that have already attained a moderate level of success in life, and are striving toward more. It goes over current events of interest to this group, such things as exciting adventures, consumer interests, financial struggles, and dating tips, as well as ways to make more and save more money. It is a publication owned by Purpose Inc.

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College Park, MD — Keep Me Maryland, a fundraising initiative launched last year by the University of Maryland in response to a growing need for emergency financial aid, received a boost of ,700, thanks to Maryland students, and two generous and dedicated donors.

The Student Government Association (SGA), in conjunction with the Department of Dining Services and The Maryland Fund for Excellence, spearheaded a meal plan funds donation drive to raise money for students and their families who might be struggling due to the economy.

More than 1,180 UM students donated a total of ,700 to help their fellow Terps. Nearly 300 students contributed the maximum. Longtime UM benefactors Suzanne and Murray Valenstein (’40) and Bob Facchina (’77) were inspired by the SGA’s and students’ efforts and matched the gift — bringing the total amount raised to ,700.

"Our students recognized a very real and pressing need in their community and with the leadership of the SGA and support of close friends of the university, stepped up to help," said Vice President of University Relations Brodie Remington, "This is another outstanding example of the entire university community’s commitment to supporting our students during times of need."

During the last year alone, appeals for financial aid had risen 60 percent compared to the previous year. Keep Me Maryland funds help families bridge the financial gap so Maryland keeps every student and their educations are not derailed by the down economy.

"Through this unprecedented collaboration between the SGA and the university, more students will now be able to stay in school without the day-to-day fear of not being able to afford their education," said SGA President Steve Glickman. "I look forward to implementing similar programs throughout the coming year."

Contacts: Beth Cavanaugh, 301-405-4625 or bcavana@umd.edu

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(Vocus/PRWEB) April 11, 2011

The college financial aid offer letters are showing up at the student’s homes at this time, and many families are shocked by what they are seeing. Most often the colleges are expecting parents and students to pay more than they desire. Sometimes they are asking them to pay above what they can afford and well above the family’s expected family contribution as calculated on their FAFSA form.

“Don’t throw in the towel just yet,” says Scott Anderson, founder and CEO of eduLaunchpad.com. “There is still more that can often be done. Now is the time to get your appeals ready,” he adds.

The appeals process is essentially negotiating with the college, but Anderson recommends you do not call it negotiating. “Colleges get a little touchy if you talk about negotiating a financial award. They seem to think that they are not big business selling a needed service,” says Mr. Anderson. Instead, colleges and universities have an appeals process.

The appeals process can take on many forms. Some schools have their own paperwork they want students to complete to start an appeal. Other schools will accept just a letter from the student. Students need to check the colleges’ websites under financial aid to find out the process for each school. Mr. Anderson recommends that regardless of the specific process, all appeals should go to a representative in the college’s financial aid office if possible. The dean or administrator may be a good choice, but the better choice is whoever is responsible for your student’s financial award. A quick phone call to the financial aid office can get you that answer.

When making an appeal to the college, keep in mind that financial aid officers are people to. If a compelling argument can be made to a stranger as to why the student’s offer should be increased, then there is a good chance you will be successful with the college. It helps if the student applied to multiple colleges and has multiple offers on the table as well. Some schools will increase their offers simply because another school had a better offer. It is also important to have multiple choices to choose from. Maybe the student’s second choice school is going to cost $ 10,000 less than the first choice school. $ 10,000 per year can often change a student’s mind.

State your case clearly and succinctly. For instance, “my wife lost her job and our income this year will be $ 40,000 less that last year’s information on the FAFSA.” Or “My mother-in-law just moved in with us and we now have to support her.” Provide whatever supporting financial information you have available, but do not include information that does not pertain to your appeal.

“The number one rule of appealing a student’s financial offer is it never hurts to ask,” says Mr. Anderson. Families need to go ahead and ask. The worst thing that can happen is the college will say no.

http://www.eduLaunchpad.com is the most advanced college search engine on the Internet. It helps students not only identify which colleges they may be interested in, but which colleges will likely be the most generous towards them as well. Scott Anderson co-founded eduLaunchpad in 2009 and has over a decade of college financial consulting experience. Contact Scott for more information on preparing students and family finances for college.

For more information contact:

Scott Anderson, 563.359.1104

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