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How the FAFSA works, from start to finish
What happens between opening the form and getting an offer from a school.
Read the articlePaying for school
Grants, loans, work-study and the offer letter that puts them together, explained in the order you meet them.
Most of the money for college comes through one free form and one letter from each school. These articles walk through both, then cover what to do when the numbers do not meet.
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In this topic
Read them in order, or pick the one you need.
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Grants, loans and work-study, told apart
Three kinds of aid that can sit on one offer letter, and how differently they behave.
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Reading an aid offer line by line
Where the real cost sits on the letter, and the questions to ask the aid office.
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Aid from your state and your school
The money that is not federal, and the separate rules and dates that come with it.
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Looking for scholarships without getting scammed
Where real scholarships are listed, and the signs that an offer is not one.
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When the aid does not cover the bill
Options to work through, in order, before taking on expensive debt.
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