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Guides
Each guide sits behind one season of the aid calendar. Read the one that matches where you are in the year, or start with the FAFSA guide if this is your first time.
Fall season
FAFSA season: what to line up before the form opens
StudentAid.gov accounts, contributors, the prior-prior tax year and a school list, with a household example and a one-week checklist.
Read the guideGrant basics
How a Pell Grant amount is worked out
How the Student Aid Index, cost of attendance and enrollment level combine, plus the lifetime limit and summer payments.
Read the guideSpring season
Comparing aid offers line by line
A three-number worksheet that turns any college offer into a net price you can compare, and when to ask for a review.
Read the guideAll year
The aid calendar
The month-by-month view that ties the guides together, with notes on where official dates are posted.
Open the calendarReference
Key terms
Short definitions of the words that appear on aid forms and offers.
See the key terms