Frequently Asked Questions

It is! College Affordable services are provided at no cost to students and families affiliated with our program.

College Affordable offers a variety of services to assist students and families ranging from online self help tools to over the phone full support. Whether you need a small amount of help or assistance with every aspect of the process for accessing financial aid we are here to help you.

Check out our full list of services on our website. We are here to help in any way that we can.

We are happy to partner with several local schools and community organizations. Each of our partners has a personal page full of resources.

To find your school or community organization please visit our  programs page.

If you are interested in starting a program at your school or community organization, please contact us here.

At this time, College Affordable services are available to anyone associated with our partner programs. To see if your high school or community-based organization is a partner, visit our programs page.

No, College Affordable does not provide any monetary funding to students or families. We do not have a loan program.

To register, visit your program’s landing page by selecting your program from the list of organizations. Once you get to the landing page, you’ll be able to register on the left-hand side. The registration page is formatted as a ‘form within a form’, so you may need to gently scroll on your phone screen (if using your device) to complete the entire registration form.

Once you’re registered, you’ll have access to all of College Affordable’s services. There is no username or login required.

Generally speaking, that is 100% up to you and your family, and what you want to take away from the program. We offer a lot of different options, and it could be different for each person, their goals, and where they are in the application process or year in high school. Reach out to us at financialaid@collegeaffordable.org, and we can help figure out the best way to support you.

You are more than welcome to email us your questions at financialaid@collegeaffordable.org. We’re here to help you in whichever format you prefer – emails, virtual meetings, phone calls, or texts!

Of course! We’re happy to work with parents, caregivers, students, and high school staff to help support the students of our affiliated programs in any way we can.

College Affordable staff members are fluent in English and Spanish and can support students and families with a variety of different languages through translation services.

We do! Our hours vary each week, but typically have evening and weekend hours available for meetings. You can schedule a meeting through your program’s landing page. 

Here is a breakdown to help you determine which meeting time will work best for your questions:

15 minutes – book this meeting for:

• General questions about the financial aid process.
• Learning about College Affordable services.
• Checking in about next steps with the College Affordable team.

30 min – phone book this meeting for:

• Introductory meetings on what to prepare for the financial aid process.
• Reviewing preliminary financial aid assessments.
• Corrections to college list and applications requirements.
• Progress updates on scholarship and financial aid offers
• Discussing available financing options through federal loans, private loans, or payment plans.

30 min- virtual: Book this meeting for:

• Creating your FSA ID.
• Troubleshooting access with financial aid applications.
• Corrections to college list and applications requirements.
• Support with uploading forms through IDOC or college portals.
• Reviewing progress on financial aid offers or appeals status.
• Introductory meetings on what to prepare for the financial aid process.

60 min- virtual Book this meeting for:

• FAFSA/CSS profile submissions.
• Non-custodial parent support with CSS profile submission.
• Assistance with appeals and letter drafts.
• Comparing financial aid offers and reviewing out of pocket costs.
• Discussing available financing options through federal loans, private loans, or payment plans.

Yes, all of our meetings can be booked in advance with a Spanish-speaking staff member by selecting a meeting type listed in Spanish (column on the right on the booking page).

Yes, College Affordable services are available to all students and families associated with our programs. 

No, College Affordable does not sell or share any of your personal information or share it outside of our platform. Read our privacy statement here.