Three basic and simple ways that you can save money while going to school. Even though these tips may seem easy - you can save from a little to huge amounts of money that could make significant differences in your financial success.

What will your lifestyle look like when you finish postsecondary education and training? Will you be living in a house or apartment, eating out every night, riding a bike, going on vacations around the world? Your plans now will affect the choices available later. It’s hard to plan without really mapping out what you want your life to look like. Use the Reality Check budgeting assessment to see if your education plans meet the lifestyle you have in mind.

We don’t have a cute animal to tell you this – but a few minutes of research really makes a difference when it comes to choosing the right student loan. Half of Alaska Student Loan Borrowers Pay Too Much - here is the info you need to not get tricked into paying too much.

If you filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), odds are you will be receiving an award letter soon, from the colleges or training programs you listed on the FAFSA (either by mail, email, or both). Your award may include grants (free money), work-study (part-time job), and/or student loans. If one of your options is to take out a student loan, it’s important you know and understand a few things before doing so.

This article addresses some tasks that a senior in high school should be completing. It’s important to remember and write down deadlines and dates as senior year goes by quickly. Not to mention, some of these tasks will take some attention to detail.

You spent time prepping for the FAFSA and NOW you actually completed it! Yay! Now what? Within 3 to 5 business days, your Student Aid Report (SAR) is sent to the e-mail provided on the FAFSA or via postal mail (depending on how you submitted the FAFSA). The Student Aid Report or SAR gives you some basic information about your eligibility for federal student aid and lists your answers to the questions on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Happy Halloween! Have you filed your FAFSA yet? Not to scare you, but most forms of financial aid are based on a first filed first served system – so, the earlier you file the FAFSA the better your chances are of receiving aid that you qualify for. If you haven’t filed, yet, we are here to help – If you’re not convinced you need to file a FAFSA, well… perhaps this article will change your mind.

For Alaska students the FAFSA is your application for the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) and the Alaska Education Grant (AEG) as well as other scholarships and grants. High school students can earn the APS by meeting the curriculum requirements on this check list (download here) as well as by test score. To apply for the APS with the FAFSA you must list at least one Alaska school as a place you are interested in attending.

Have you been asked, “How do you eat an elephant?” Maybe someone asked you as you were trying to accomplish something unfathomable, a huge task. Financial Aid is like that elephant. There is so much information out there on the topic including information on grants, scholarships, loans, federal work study, etc. But where to begin? We have the ultimate tool to help you narrow down your financial aid elephant into manageable pieces.

As of October 1st the 2019-20 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available online. Before you can begin filling out the FAFSA you’ll need to begin with an FSA ID. What is an FSA ID you may ask? The FSA ID is a username and password combination that allows you to access, complete and sign your FAFSA electronically before submitting the form.