Questions and answers

No. Reading the site is free and so are the deadline texts. Filing the FAFSA is free too, and you should never pay anyone to file it for you.

No, and nobody outside the programs can. Schools, states and the federal government decide aid after you apply, using their own rules. Our articles explain how those decisions are made and which office to ask.

No. We explain the form, but you file it yourself at studentaid.gov. Never share your FSA ID password with us or with any other company.

Short reminders about aid dates for your state and the stage you are at, such as when the FAFSA opens or a priority date is close, plus occasional notes about new articles. You sign up on the deadline texts page.

Message frequency varies, up to four messages a month, and fewer in quiet parts of the year. Reply STOP to any message to end them.

From the offices that run the programs: studentaid.gov, the Department of Education’s College Scorecard and accreditation database, state higher education agencies and the College Board. Each article links its main source.

Please write to us. Aid rules change every year, and we correct articles as soon as we confirm a change.