1. Financial aid

3. What’s a fafsa Free Application for Federal Student Aid
A universal measuring tool that the Federal Government uses to determine a family’s financial strength compared to other families in the country.
FAFSA must be completed every year a student is in college.
It is designed primarily to determine a student’s “need based” financial aid requirement and is often used as a factor in determining “merit based” grants and scholarships.

4. What are the components that are measured?
Assets – Parent’s and student’s assets.
Income – Parent’s and student’s income. All sources of income, including child support, private disability and taxable Social Security may be included.
Number of students in college
Age of oldest parent
Number in household