Education & student aid

Summer Pell Grant: How Year-Round Pell Pays and What to Ask Your School

Pell pays for summer classes, up to 150% of your award in a year at any credit load. Which FAFSA covers summer 2027 and what to ask your aid office.

Student Loan Default: Rehabilitation or Consolidation?

Rehabilitation takes nine payments and erases the default from your credit report; consolidation is faster but keeps it. How to start either today.

Do You Have to Pay Back a Pell Grant If You Withdraw or Drop?

Withdraw before the 60% point and part of your Pell is unearned. Who repays it, the half-grant rule, the 45-day deadline and what dropping a class does.

FAFSA Submission Summary: SAI Meaning, Estimates and Verification

Your SAI runs from -1,500 to 999,999; lower means more aid. Estimated vs. official SAI, and what to send your school if you are selected for verification.

PSLF Qualifying Employers and Payments: Does Your Job Count?

Government and 501(c)(3) jobs at 30 hours a week count for PSLF. See which payments and plans count in 2026, including RAP, and how to certify your job.

Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP): Which Plan to Pick and How to Enroll

RAP is open at StudentAid.gov: 1% to 10% of AGI, $50 off per dependent, $10 minimum. See who can still pick IBR, the SAVE and PAYE deadlines, and how to apply.

Free GED Classes Through Public Adult Education

Public adult education runs free GED classes in most states. Find one by ZIP code, see what the test costs in your state, and check online testing rules.

FAFSA Without Parent Contact: Requesting a Review

Learn the FAFSA route when contacting a parent is unsafe or impossible, how the school reviews unusual circumstances, and why parent refusal is different.

Federal Work-Study: From an Aid Offer to a Paid Job

Turn a Federal Work-Study offer into a job search, understand how wages are paid, and check award limits, class schedules, and continued eligibility.

Income Changed? How to Request a Financial Aid Review

Ask your college to review financial aid after job loss or another income change, prepare relevant evidence, and separate an aid review from a FAFSA correction.

SAP Appeal: How to Request Financial Aid Reinstatement

Read a satisfactory academic progress notice, prepare a focused SAP appeal, and understand how probation and an academic plan affect financial aid.

Student Loan Disability Discharge: How to Apply

Compare VA, Social Security, and medical-certification routes for student loan disability discharge and prepare an application through StudentAid.gov.

One Big Beautiful Bill Pell Grant Changes for 2026-27

How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes Pell Grant eligibility for 2026-27: the new SAI cutoff, the full-scholarship rule, and Workforce Pell.

Pell Grant Eligibility 2026: Who Qualifies, How to Apply

Pell Grant 2026-27: $740 to $7,395, SAI under $14,790, max Pell by income and family size, the 600% lifetime cap, and FAFSA and state deadlines.

Cal Grant 2026-27: Eligibility, Deadlines & Award Status

Check a 2026-27 Cal Grant award, missing GPA, or Cal Grant C form. Prepare the 2027-28 application and distinguish an award offer from school payment.