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FAFSA Guide: How To Get Federal Student Aid
This guide will help you understand the FAFSA, everything you need to know to apply, and what to expect when you're done.
Heidi Rivera is a personal finance writer and reporter for Bankrate. Her areas of expertise include personal loans, student loans and debt consolidation, in addition to data collection and analysis. Heidi started covering personal finance topics in late 2018 and her work has been featured in several publications, including Money, MSN Money, Yahoo Finance and Money Under 30.
Before working in finance, Heidi spent several years in post production, working as a subtitle editor for different TV and film studios.
When she isn’t giving her best financial advice, Heidi enjoys spending time with her cats, crafting and pinning home decor ideas on Pinterest.
Before applying for any loan product, make sure you understand how the APR (annual percentage rate) works and how it accrues. I certainly didn’t know this when I took out private student loans in college and was surprised to see how much my balances had grown once I graduated. If possible, make interest payments even when you’re in your grace period — this can make a world of difference in the long run.
This guide will help you understand the FAFSA, everything you need to know to apply, and what to expect when you're done.
Upgrade offers fixed-rate personal loans of up to $50,000 to borrowers with fair credit or better. The application is online, with fast approval.
Prosper was the first to enter the peer-to-peer lending market and offers unsecured personal loans to borrowers through an entirely virtual process.
Upstart is an online lender founded by former Google employees and lends to those with fair credit.
The form of debt relief you’re looking for will affect where you can get it.
Learn about types of interest and how to calculate how much interest you’ll pay.
Be prepared before taking a $30,000 loan
College graduates earn 40 percent or more per week than those without a degree.