Welcome to Student Aid on the Web, the U.S. Department of Education's site for free information on preparing for and funding education beyond high school.

Whether you're in elementary or high school, parent or counselor, our site offers for all a wealth of information and publications. We are here to help you make informed decisions regarding all phases of a college, technical or trade school education and career choice.

Check these out!

Click the buttons on the right, and the tabs at the top, to learn more about each item.

Whether you are going to a college, trade or technical school, check out these topics —

Preparing for Your Education helps you prepare for college, trade or technical school. Tools such as the Student Planner and the Planner Timeline will keep you on track, and Career Voyages will inform you about careers and the latest fields in demand.

Choosing a School gives suggestions on selecting the school that's best for you. You can even take online campus tours.

Applying for Admission navigates you through the school application process with the help of a senior monthly timeline and "To Do" list.

We can help make your education affordable and possible!

Funding Your Education provides in-depth information on all the U.S. Department of Education's student aid programs (grants, work-study and loans) and on how to apply.

While Attending School offers information on maintaining eligibility for financial aid, reapplying for aid each year and fulfilling your responsibilities when it's time to leave school.

What you need to know about repaying student loans...

Repayment Information provides information on exit counseling, the National Student Loan Data System, loan deferment, forgiveness, and consolidation.

Repayment Plans & Calculators - When it comes time to start repaying your student loan(s), you can select a repayment plan that's right for your financial situation.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was created to encourage individuals to enter and continue to work full-time in public service jobs.

Postponing Repayment - Provides information on how to qualify for a deferment, forbearance, or other form of payment relief.

A great feature of Student Aid on the Web is MyFSA. Establishing a MyFSA account allows you to register your name and basic profile information that can be used to search and match to the right career fields, colleges and scholarships. At your option, your profile information can be used to pre-populate certain fields on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), FAFSA4caster and electronic college admission applications. You can even calculate an estimated family contribution (EFC).

Check these out!

Click the buttons on the right, and the tabs at the top, to learn more about each item.

The College Savings Calculator function calculates how much you will need to save to meet college expenses based on the number of years before starting college, planned years in college, current costs and future costs.

The wizard walks you through scholarship searches for your field of interests, shows deadlines for filing financial aid applications for selected colleges and estimated cost of attendance. It also provides an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) estimator and a tool to interpret and analyze your financial aid award letters. You can also transfer your MyFSA profile information to the FAFSA and the FAFSA4caster.

The College Finder/College Matching Wizard compares colleges for size, cost, and majors offered. It matches your profile information to the appropriate schools. Researches tuition costs and financial aid and you can evan take on-line campus tours.

Using the Student Planner you are able to create a personal academic portfolio to track successfully completed courses required for college admission.

Under MyFSA Applications, the Submitted Applications area maintains the list of colleges you applied to and application status. The Applications in Progress area maintains the admission applications you started but not yet submitted.

Check these out!

Click the buttons on the right, and the tabs at the top, to learn more about each item. These are just a few examples of the many useful publications in our "Tools and Resources" section.

Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid is our most comprehensive publication for students and parents. We recommend it for anyone who wants to learn the basics of the federal student aid programs - whether you're a high school student, college student, parent, or an adult considering continuing your education. The booklet describes who can get federal student aid, what types of aid are available, and how to apply. Browse through it to find the answer to a specific question, or read the whole thing for a good in-depth look at federal aid.

The College Preparation Checklist is a practical tool that tells students what to do each year in high school to get ready for college. Students as young as 8^th grade will find it useful as they plan for the future. Download the checklist and put it in the front of your "college planning" notebook, post it on the wall over your desk, or whatever you need to do to keep on track.

"What Is a Federal Student Aid PIN and Why Do I Need One?" is one of many fact sheets we offer at Student Aid on the Web. Each fact sheet covers a specific topic - in this case, an explanation of the PIN, how to use it, and how to get one. This fact sheet is recommended for those who are preparing to start the application process and want to understand it a little better..

More than 90% of students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. However, some people prefer to fill something out on paper first, so they know they have their answers ready when they go to the online application. The FAFSA on the Web Worksheet is designed for those people. The worksheet includes a list of documents needed when filling out the FAFSA and shows the FAFSA questions in the order in which they appear online.