Videos
Short, plain-English videos on the FAFSA, the CSS Profile, scholarships, loans and award letters, grouped by topic. Watch one here, then read the guide it comes from and turn it into your own plan.
60 Shorts and 8 full explainers. Newest video: .
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8 videos, 6 to 13 minutes each. One topic, start to finish, with the sources on screen.
If a college on your list wants the CSS Profile, your real deadline may be November 1, at midnight Eastern, and that's a Sunday this year.
Read the guide: CSS Profile Deadline 2027-28: The November 1 Colleges and Your PlanThere's no "too much" line on the FAFSA.
Read the guide: FAFSA Income Limit 2027-28: Do You Make Too Much for Financial Aid?The FAFSA deadline is June 30, 2028, and it is the one that matters least.
Read the guide: FAFSA Deadlines 2027-28: Federal, State and College Dates (Which One Is Really Yours)College sticker prices are high, but most families don't pay them: at private colleges, the average first-year student pays an estimated $37,380 a year after grants, not the $65,470 sticker (College Board, 2025-26).
Read the guide: Why Is College So Expensive? The Price Almost Nobody PaysThe CSS Profile is a second financial aid form, run by College Board, that some colleges require on top of the FAFSA to hand out their own grants.
Read the guide: CSS Profile Explained: Who Needs It and What It Costs (2027-28)Since July 1, 2026, Parent PLUS has a cap: $20,000 a year and $65,000 total per child, for both parents together.
Read the guide: New Student Loan Rules for 2026-27: The $65,000 Parent PLUS Cap ExplainedEarly Decision is binding for the student and for the parent who signs it.
How to fill out the 2027-28 FAFSA, step by step, on the real StudentAid.gov screens and the official 2027-28 form, and the 7 questions where the rules cost families real aid.
Read the guide: How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step by Step (7 Mistakes to Avoid)68 videos
01 · 2 Shorts
Which parent files, and when the other parent's form is needed.
02 · 5 Shorts
The second aid form some colleges require, and its early deadlines.
03 · 8 Shorts
What the early rounds mean for money, before you sign.
04 · 6 Shorts
What an offer really says, and the number your family actually pays.
05 · 6 Shorts
The new borrowing limits, fees and interest, in plain numbers.
06 · 3 Shorts
The red flags that mean walk away.
07 · 10 Shorts
Where the money is, and which deadlines are next.
08 · 9 Shorts
Which date is really yours, and the states that pay first come, first served.
09 · 9 Shorts
How to fill it out, what it counts, and what it ignores.
10 · 2 Shorts
How college money works, from sticker price to what you pay.
When the offers arrive
Free money, loans and work-study are not the same thing, and the letter rarely says which is which. The guide shows the four steps to the number your family actually pays, and how to appeal a weak offer.
When you have more than one offer, the Decision Pack lays them side by side and drafts an appeal letter for each college. $49 once, and the offers stay on your device.
