Financial Aid is a wonderful program to help with the cost of college. It is a program that helps to supplement the cost of education and offers opportunities to those who otherwise may not have the means to further their education.
The first step to receiving financial aid is to filling out the free application for federal student aid. This is the agency that determines what the family contribution should be. The difference between the cost of attendance and expected contribution for a student, determines how much funds should be awarded based on need. There are some programs that are based on merit or are non-need based and can replace expected contributions from a family source.