To get financial aid for college, families need to pay attention to the differences between applying for aid and applying for admission. Different forms. Different deadlines. Different criteria. You have to treat them as two separate but equally important processes.
But for students who aren’t yet applying to college, the path to securing future financial aid overlaps with the best practices for securing college acceptances.
1. Work hard in high school both inside and outside of the classroom. Show colleges that you take both your present and your future seriously.
2. Do as well as you can on standardized tests without sacrificing time and attention from the goals in #1.
3. Find the colleges that fit you best, whether or not they’re famous, and compose a balanced college list.
Financial aid offices are more likely to give favorable packages to academically appealing students. Do the work to get admitted, pick the right schools who will appreciate what you’ve done, and you’ll be more likely to get both the acceptance you want and the aid you need.