Most of what decides how much you borrow happens before your first day of class. Here is the order to do it in, what to file, and where Wisconsin students get free help.
Two students can attend the same school, in the same year, for the same degree, and graduate tens of thousands of dollars apart. The difference is almost never luck. It is paperwork filed on time, free money applied for, and offer letters read closely before anyone signs anything.
You do not have to figure this out alone, and you should not pay anyone to help you with it. Everything on this page is free.
Grants and scholarships are yours to keep. Loans are borrowed money sitting in the same column. Separate them before you compare offers.
Total cost of attendance minus gift aid. That gap is what you or your family actually have to cover this year.
Some awards are first year only, or need a GPA to keep. Ask what year two looks like before you commit to year one.
Multiply the gap by the number of years you expect to be enrolled. That is the number worth deciding on.
Narrow your list. Note each school's financial aid deadline, because they are not all the same. Start your scholarship search now rather than in spring.
File as soon as you can after it opens for your year. Have the household's tax information ready so you are not stuck halfway through.
Hit priority aid deadlines, submit the CSS Profile if your schools use it, and keep sending scholarship applications.
Award letters arrive. Compare them properly. If something changed at home, ask the aid office about an appeal. People do this and it works more often than students expect.
Many schools ask for an answer by May 1. Decide on the four year number, not the first year discount.
Accept only the aid you need, finish entrance counseling and your loan paperwork if you are borrowing, and set up a simple budget for the first semester.
Everything to gather before you sit down to file, so you get through it in one sitting.
Open the checklist →Line up the true cost of each school so you are comparing the same thing across offers.
Compare costs →What it is, which schools ask for it, and how it differs from the FAFSA.
Understand the Profile →Scholarship money never has to be repaid, and the small local awards are the ones students skip. That is exactly why they are winnable.
See the scholarships we run and the ones we point students to.
Our Wisconsin helpline is free and confidential. Real people, no sales pitch, no fee, whether you are filing the FAFSA for the first time or trying to read an award letter.
833-589-0750Once you are enrolled, the job changes. File the FAFSA again every year, keep chasing free money, and track what you have borrowed as you go.
Go to During CollegeAlready graduated? Start with your repayment options instead.
