College Financial Aid – the MTV Challenge

Yes, tax time!! Deduct, itemize, calculate and sign. If only submitting your family’s 1040 meant completion of the your annual paperwork drudgery, but there is more!!! Get in line, college applicants and parents, for the FAFSA! That’s right, you get to fill out the Free Application for Student Aid.

College Applications are increasingly more complex and the entire process is compounded by the pressing need for financial aid for students. Even if you don’t qualify for financial aid (and, really, who ever does?), the FAFSA is a prerequisite for many subsidized loans and private scholarships. Though not hip or cool, the FAFSA is a necessary step for the college bound (and you thought the SAT Reasoning test was a challenge!).

Well, it could be slightly hip. MTV hip, at least. MTV is collaborating with the College Board to make Financial Aid a more user-friendly universe. MTV has launched the College Affordability Challenge with three panelists who are competing to create a tech platform that will facilitate financial aid assistance. Interested in learning more about the projects? Visit the college board’s website (https://tiny.cc/ydpcl) or go directly to MTV’s Get Schooled Series (https://tiny.cc/hj4ki). You can even vote for the panelists and test drive their prototypes.