CANDICE CHOI • JANUARY 17, 2011
It's crunch time for families counting on loans and grants to pay for college.
Deadlines to fill out the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, are around the corner and likely generating anxiety in households across the country.
For those scrambling to get up to speed, the FAFSA is used to determine how much an applicant or their family should contribute toward education costs. Schools then use that figure — known as the expected family contribution — to determine how much financial aid should be awarded to bridge the cost of attendance.
Aid packages can include need-based grants, loans and work study programs.
Students who apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov can get an estimate of their expected family contribution
