My brother is transitioning from junior college to state university, to get his bachelors degree. Along with that transition comes the much higher costs involved with 4 year universities. So, I've been helping him think about how to pay for school, reduce costs, maximize financial aid, etc.
One tip I got while going to college saved me a lot of money. I took a break from school between high school and college. So, when I got to college, I had been earning a fair bit of money the previous year. When I went to fill out my free application for student aid (FAFSA), it looked as though I would continue to make that same amount of money throughout college. I knew that I would have to work much less during college, but that was not reflected on my FAFSA form. So, I went back to the financial aid office for what is called a "Professional Judgement". At the university I went to, this amounted to filling out a form that described why I thought I would be making significantly less money next year, than I had last year.
This could apply to many different situations, perhaps one of your parents was laid off, or retired. Maybe one of your parents pay is sales based, and the economy is such that their bonus will be smaller this year. The main point is, by getting a Professional Judgment, you can make sure the financial aid office is taking in to account all of your personal circumstances when offering financial aid.
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