Useful Links
Financial Aid, Scholarships & Grants
- Federal Student Aid Information for Counselors—Provides federal student aid information especially for high school counselors and other college access mentors. Offers access to publications, including a PDF of the Federal School Code List, training information, announcements, a PowerPoint financial aid presentation, and ways to promote federal student aid and college access. Visit the site at www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov.
- FAFSA demonstration site—Allows counselors to increase their own understanding of FAFSA on the Web and to show it to students and parents before they apply. When you visit the site, you will be prompted for a user name. Enter eddemo. The password is fafsatest. The site is at http://fafsademo.test.ed.gov.
- College Affordability and Transparency Center—Includes statistics on schools with the highest and lowest costs, state appropriations for higher education, and for-profit schools receiving more than 90 percent of their revenue from federal student aid. Find this information at collegecost.ed.gov.
- FSA COACH is a comprehensive introductory Web-based course that teaches the concepts and procedures involved in managing the federal student aid programs. To access FSA COACH, go to www.ed.gov/fsacoach.
- FSAPubs—Provides counselors a single order point for all Federal Student Aid publications, offering single or bulk orders. See “Free Informational Materials” on page 38 for more information. FSAPubs is at www.FSAPubs.gov.
- TRIO program information—The TRIO programs help prepare disadvantaged students for successful entry into, retention in, and completion of postsecondary education. TRIO information is at www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio.
- GEAR UP information—Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is an early-intervention initiative designed to encourage low-income students to have high expectations, stay in school, study hard, and take the right courses to prepare for college. Learn more about GEAR UP at www.ed.gov/gearup.
- Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP)—A library of federal student aid information, geared toward college financial aid administrators. High school, TRIO, and GEAR UP counselors who regularly help students apply for aid might find the Federal Student Aid Handbook particularly useful, especially in finding detailed information about student eligibility criteria. IFAP is at www.ifap.ed.gov.
-If you are looking for answers to specific questions regarding financial aid, be sure to check out this resource available on FinancialAidToolkit.gov
Professional Development
CollegeBoard offers free training and workshops for counselors at various times throughout the year. For more information, click here.
- Federal Student Aid Information for Counselors—Provides federal student aid information especially for high school counselors and other college access mentors. Offers access to publications, including a PDF of the Federal School Code List, training information, announcements, a PowerPoint financial aid presentation, and ways to promote federal student aid and college access. Visit the site at www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov.
- FAFSA demonstration site—Allows counselors to increase their own understanding of FAFSA on the Web and to show it to students and parents before they apply. When you visit the site, you will be prompted for a user name. Enter eddemo. The password is fafsatest. The site is at http://fafsademo.test.ed.gov.
- College Affordability and Transparency Center—Includes statistics on schools with the highest and lowest costs, state appropriations for higher education, and for-profit schools receiving more than 90 percent of their revenue from federal student aid. Find this information at collegecost.ed.gov.
- FSA COACH is a comprehensive introductory Web-based course that teaches the concepts and procedures involved in managing the federal student aid programs. To access FSA COACH, go to www.ed.gov/fsacoach.
- FSAPubs—Provides counselors a single order point for all Federal Student Aid publications, offering single or bulk orders. See “Free Informational Materials” on page 38 for more information. FSAPubs is at www.FSAPubs.gov.
- TRIO program information—The TRIO programs help prepare disadvantaged students for successful entry into, retention in, and completion of postsecondary education. TRIO information is at www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio.
- GEAR UP information—Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is an early-intervention initiative designed to encourage low-income students to have high expectations, stay in school, study hard, and take the right courses to prepare for college. Learn more about GEAR UP at www.ed.gov/gearup.
- Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP)—A library of federal student aid information, geared toward college financial aid administrators. High school, TRIO, and GEAR UP counselors who regularly help students apply for aid might find the Federal Student Aid Handbook particularly useful, especially in finding detailed information about student eligibility criteria. IFAP is at www.ifap.ed.gov.
-If you are looking for answers to specific questions regarding financial aid, be sure to check out this resource available on FinancialAidToolkit.gov
Professional Development
CollegeBoard offers free training and workshops for counselors at various times throughout the year. For more information, click here.