FAFSA4caster & College Financial Aid Calculators

College costs can be high, so federal student aid is financial assistance for students who need help paying for college. Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, provides federal student aid, which includes grants, loans, and work-study.

Federal student aid can be used to cover the costs of your college's tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation. This aid can also be used to help pay for a computer and dependent child care expenses.

Federal student aid may not cover all college expenses. Your state or local government may have financial aid for students; and the college you're interested in probably has its own financial aid sources, which often include scholarships. Start researching non-federal sources in your junior year so that you can determine what you need to do to qualify for these funds.

What are the benefits of using FAFSA4caster?

Instead of waiting until your senior year to find out your eligibility for federal student aid, you can use FAFSA4caster to estimate your eligibility early, which will give you better insight when making college choices.

There are additional benefits to using FAFSA4caster:

• You will become familiar with the student aid lifecycle and begin to understand the roles of the financial aid players – students and families, colleges, Federal Student Aid, and banks and lenders.
• When you're done entering your data, which is based on the answers you provided in FAFSA4caster. Your estimated federal student aid eligibility will help federal student aid for which you may qualify.
• Once receive a Federal Student Aid PIN in time for you to use when you officially apply for aid.

Additionally, provides you with an opportunity to pre-populate a FAFSA on the Web application for the current processing year, to reduce the time spent completing the FAFSA if you choose to attend college now.

So how do I choose a college that's right for me?

To decide which one is right for you, conduct a college search. A college search will narrow down your choices by providing you with information about colleges that match your preferences.

Here are a few things to consider during your college search.

Where is the college located? What is the student population? Is it private or public? Is there a religious affiliation? Is it a single-sex college or is it co-ed?