As a parent, you’re hoping that your kid gets maximum financial aid to help pay for college. Well . . . the timing on how parents apply for financial aid changed radically with an announcement by President Obama on September 13th, 2015.
The date to submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) has changed, and the information that parents are required to put on the form has changed.
The implications of the changes are far-reaching and will impact millions of families. I am still sorting through all of these implications myself.
These four things we know for sure:
1. Parents who fully understand the implications of these changes will be greatly advantaged in the financial aid application process.
Their kids will be able to jump first in line for free money for college, and will get larger financial aid awards.
2. Parents who aren’t paying attention, or who don’t understand the implications of these changes, will find their kids greatly disadvantaged in the financial aid application process.
Their kids will end up taking on greater and greater amounts of burdensome student loan debt in order to pay for college.
3. Because President Obama’s changes have shifted the timing on financial aid application to earlier, it’s critically important that parents start planning for college earlier than ever.
Well before the sophomore year of high school. (Please, please tell your friends this.)
4. Parents who follow me by subscribing to my free email newsletter will get free, up-to-the-minute instruction on how to take full advantage of all of these new changes.
If you have not yet subscribed to my free email newsletter, do so now—and then open it every single time it lands in your email inbox.
I’m changing everything too.
The content of my upcoming book and the “WHAT TO DO WHEN” section on this website will be changing over the next few months to reflect brand new strategies that are now possible because of these changes.
(If your child is a 12th grader right now, nothing really changes for you. If your child is an 11th grader right now, there are big changes ahead for you.)
These financial aid changes have not been well-publicized, so many professional people who guide parents and students are not yet aware of them. Can you help us spread the word? Share this post with:
- Parents
- Financial advisors
- College admissions consultants
- College admissions staff
- Teachers
- Youth pastors
- High school and middle school principals
- College advisors
- College professors
- College and career counselors
- School guidance counselors
These people care deeply about helping families, and will want access to the most up-to-the-minute information on how to advise them.
When you’re a parent, it feels great to know that you’re taking practical steps to set your kid up for successful college and career life.
For clear, step-by-step help getting your kids through college debt-free, don’t rely on a loose collection of blog posts. You’ll miss hundreds of details that way. Instead, get your copy of my book:
Important—> It’s a reference book, so nobody reads the whole thing cover to cover. Pick out what you need to read in it using the fast-paced, 10-minute video instructions here.
You can see hundreds of reviews of this book on Amazon by going to:
You can see why financial advising professionals love LAUNCH, here.
You can see the top 9 questions parents are asking me about LAUNCH, here.
Read just one chapter of LAUNCH every 1–3 months while your child’s in middle school and high school, and you’ll know every viable strategy for debt-free college at exactly the right time to implement it.
And if your child’s already well past middle school? That’s OK; you can run to catch up. But the process of getting your kids through college debt-free goes more smoothly the earlier you start it—especially if you’re not planning to save up any money to pay for college.
Let's you and I walk together toward the goal of debt-free college for your kids.
We can accomplish this no matter your current income level—even if your kids never get a single scholarship.
Your first step is getting regularly scheduled, free helpful articles from me—right in your email inbox. Quick, sign up here.
Do you have very specific questions for me about debt-free college and career for your kids?
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Who is Jeannie Burlowski?
Jeannie is a full-time academic strategist, podcast host, and sought-after speaker for students ages 12–26, their parents, and the professionals who serve them. Her writing, speaking, and podcasting help parents set their kids up to graduate college debt-free, ready to jump directly into careers they excel at and love. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Huffington Post, USA Today, Parents Magazine, and US News & World Report, and on CBS News.
Jeannie also helps students apply to law, medical, business, and grad school at her website GetIntoMedSchool.com. You can follow her on Bluesky @jburlowski.bsky.social.
No part of this article was written using AI.