Filling out the FAFSA is no easy task. It requires students (and sometimes parents) to sift through tax forms and look up obscure financial information. But hope has arrived!

There are so many things to think about when choosing your major: Salary, stability, demand … and debt?

This spring, the U.S. Department of Education asked colleges to help students whose families are struggling due to economic hardship like unemployment and medical bills. Now, schools are dishing out record amounts of aid — and approving more appeals than ever.

Federal authorities estimate that 1.5 million students eligible for Pell grants did not apply because they wanted to avoid the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Starting in July, borrowers can choose a new repayment plan — Income-Based Repayment, or IBR — that calculates payments on federal student loans by income and family size. Under this program, qualified borrowers will never have to spend more than 15% of their discretionary income on student loan payments.

As a student you may wonder how the legislative changes will affect you immediately, but more than likely you aren’t too interested in reading through the fine print.

Furthering your education is no cheap endeavor. Making it affordable and achievable involves both smart choices and tough choices.

The old adage that you can avoid paying back your student loans by staying in school forever was never really true, despite what your “super senior” friend may say. Eventually, everyone will have to make payments on these loans, just some sooner than others.

There have been a lot of reports over the past few months about people having issues getting student loans. They certainly haven’t been as easy to obtain as years past.

It’s true. Filling out the FAFSA is about as exciting as watching the grass grow. But it is as important as changing the oil in your car.

February is Financial Aid Awareness Month. Pretty sweet, right? Knowing a bit more about how the financial aid process works can only help, as you try to reduce some of the administrative headaches involved with going to school.