For Students

Let's make sense of financial aid, together.

Not sure where to start your college journey? There's a lot of information out there. Here we've collected the resources, tools, and websites uAspire advisors trust and use with students. We also have virtual opportunities for free financial aid help.

To get started, follow our Financial Aid Checklist to apply for financial aid and make an informed decision of where to go to college and how to pay for it.

Get Started!

uAspire works with high school and college students in our California, Massachusetts, and New York advising programs to access the financial aid needed to attain their degree. Students in our programs will receive texts from a uAspire advisor. You can simply reply to their message on your phone.

Support

View all news and events

College Search

Compare colleges

Estimate what it will cost for you to attend college

Explore careers

Support for undocumented students

Colleges that meet full need

FAFSA/Dream Act

FAFSA Checklist - Follow these steps to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to apply for most types of financial aid.

Fill out and submit the FAFSA

Create your FSA ID

FAFSA How-To Videos

This video gives an overview of the FAFSA and the role it plays in the financial aid process.

This video reviews the information you'll need to gather and offers tips for completing the FAFSA. 

This video shows you how to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) on your FAFSA.

Dream Act

Fill out the California Dream Act Application

Manage your Cal Grant info

After the FAFSA

How to retrieve your Student Aid Report (SAR) [Video]

How to add a college on your FAFSA after it has been submitted [Video]

Write a financial aid appeal letter

Next steps after the financial aid offer

How-To Videos

How to create an IRS Account [Video]
An IRS account must be created in order to download a tax transcript

How to Download a Tax Transcript [Video]
How to download an IRS Tax Transcript AFTER creating an IRS account

CSS Profile

uAspire's CSS Profile Checklist

Fill out and submit the CSS Profile

CSS Profile How-To Videos

How to start the CSS Profile [Video]

How to submit the CSS Profile [Video]

Scholarships

uAspire's Scholarship Toolkit

uAspire's Guide to Finding and Applying to Scholarships

Look for and apply for scholarships

Find info on colleges and scholarships

Student Loans

Find info about Federal Direct Loans

Manage your federal student loan history

Calculate estimated loan repayments

Student loan refinancing information

Cost Calculator

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uAspire’s College Cost Calculator is a free online tool that helps you decipher and compare your financial aid offers. You can figure out how much you'll have to pay, including estimates for your indirect expenses and loan repayment, and compare costs between colleges easily.

Use it on your own, or with someone supporting you with college decisions like a school counselor or family member. You'll set up an account and be able to access the information you enter anytime from any device. 

Go to uAspire's College Cost Calculator

 
Financial Aid Terms Dictionary

Financial aid offers use confusing terminology and different labels for the same types of aid. You can look up definitions for different terms in uAspire's Financial Aid Terms Dictionary, which you can also access in the College Cost Calculator.  

Learn more about the College Cost Calculator.