Acronym Soup
Filed each year, this form is the front door to federal student aid.
What is the FAFSA?
Unlike its subsidized cousin, this federal loan starts building interest the day the money goes out.
What is a Direct Unsubsidized Loan?
Students go to this official website to file the FAFSA and manage their federal loans.
What is StudentAid.gov?
This process confirms that FAFSA information is accurate.
What is verification?
This is the largest ocean on Earth.
What is the Pacific Ocean?
COA stands for this.
What is Cost of Attendance?
This is the largest federal need-based grant for undergraduates.
What is the Pell Grant?
Because of this federal privacy law, the office can't always answer a parent's questions.
What is FERPA?
Borrowers sign this legally binding repayment agreement, which can cover loans for up to 10 years.
What is the Master Promissory Note (MPN)?
This is the only continent that is also a single country.
What is Australia?
This index replaced the EFC and can go as low as −1,500.
What is the Student Aid Index (SAI)?
This program lets students earn aid through part-time jobs, often on campus.
What is Federal Work-Study?
If aid is more than the charges on a student's account, the leftover amount is called this.
What is a credit balance?
First-time borrowers must complete this before receiving a Direct Loan.
What is entrance counseling?
Many people guess Toronto, but this city is Canada's capital.
What is Ottawa?
R2T4 stands for this.
What is Return of Title IV Funds?
On this loan, the government covers the interest while the student is enrolled at least half-time.
What is a Direct Subsidized Loan?
The school has to pay a Title IV credit balance to the student within this many days.
What is 14 days?
A student who didn't file taxes may need to send this IRS letter confirming that no return was filed.
What is a Verification of Non-filing Letter?
In 2023, this country passed China as the most populous nation.
What is India?
FSEOG stands for this.
What is the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant?
This credit-based federal loan is borrowed by parents of dependent undergrads.
What is a Parent PLUS Loan?
Direct Loan borrowers have to complete this before they graduate or drop below half-time.
What is exit counseling?
This authority lets an aid administrator adjust COA or data elements case by case.
What is professional judgment?
This is the only U.S. state that borders just one other state.
What is Maine?