All colleges, regardless of their cost, offer financial aid. Many of the more expensive private colleges, as well as the less expensive schools, will offer to meet most of your financial need. Some are even able to meet your full need. The most important thing is not to let the initial cost of a college discourage you from applying. Every college makes a significant effort to assist accepted students with aid and with options for paying any balance due after aid has been deducted from the cost of attendance.

Most financial aid professionals and guidance counselors recommend not paying for services related to financial aid. Information about finding scholarships, applying for aid, and completing applications is available for FREE. See your high school counselor about local financial aid resources or call MEFA's customer service department at 800-449-MEFA (6332) (Press option 4).

MEFA offers about 300 free College Financial Aid Seminars at high schools and community-based organizations across Massachusetts. You can also contact one of your prospective colleges or universities to find out about Open Houses, special informational programs, or to request a meeting with a member of their financial aid staff.

College financial aid professionals do everything they can to give you their best possible offer. If you have extenuating family circumstances that are either not properly explained by the information on the FAFSA or have developed since you filed the FAFSA, contact your prospective colleges to discuss your specific situation. Colleges want to make sure they have complete information about your circumstances. If an adjustment in their original offer is warranted, they will do all they can to accommodate the special circumstances.

Colleges must factor all financial awards into your total financial situation. However, scholarships often reduce the amount of loan you need to borrow, the amount of work-study you need to earn, or even your out-of-pocket amount. It is always worth pursuing local scholarships available through your high school, your employer, and your local civic and community organizations. You may also search online through a national scholarship database. (PLEASE NOTE: Clicking on this link will take you away from the MEFA web site).

Every college has different requirements for which financial aid applications need to be filed. Check with each of your prospective colleges for their specific application requirements.

PIN, also known as a Personal Identification Number, acts as an electronic signature that is used for verification upon completing your FAFSA online.

No, you don't. When you receive your SAR, however, you will be assigned a PIN. You may use this number to access your FAFSA online and make changes if needed.

Soon after you file, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that tells you your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). When the college receives your FAFSA, the financial aid office will review your information and determine what financial aid they can award you. The college may request certain documents as part of their verification process of the information you provided on the FAFSA. Keep copies of all your year-end documents.

A family's EFC is critical in assessing a student's financial aid eligibility at a college. Your federal EFC is available on your Student Aid Report (SAR) and is used by a college to assess your eligibility for federal and state aid.

If the CSS PROFILE® is required by your college, it must be filed online.

Very critical. It is important that you never miss the deadlines for filing your financial aid applications.

A special MEFA telephone hotline is scheduled for several times throughout the early spring to answer your questions about financial aid award letters. To find out when these hotlines take place, sign up to receive regular emails from MEFA.

Many colleges send financial aid award letters to accepted applicants throughout March and April. These letters indicate the types of and amounts of financial aid a student can expect to receive if they attend that particular college or university.

It is best to take all your information and make accurate comparisons. Cost is a key factor, but other issues (academic opportunities, student life, location, etc.) are important as well. Contact the college if you still have outstanding questions or concerns.

Absolutely! Many schools offer special open houses or campus visits during the month of April. Make sure to take advantage of those especially if you are still unsure about your final choice.

Most colleges require students to forward a commitment deposit by May 1. This is how you confirm with the college that you'll be attending in the coming academic year.

Notify the financial aid office at your chosen college that you accept any financial aid offer you have received from them. If you wish to decline or reduce the amount of an offer, a loan, or work-study job, alert them about this. Once you have firmly decided which college you will attend, you need to formally decline your acceptances from other colleges.

Explore loan options to help you pay for the rest of your college costs.

Family decisions about how to meet college expenses are often complex. We recommend that you call MEFA when you are considering these options. Our customer service team can help you assess your needs and present some options for meeting those needs. Contact MEFA at 800-449-MEFA (6332) or email our customer service department.