If you are looking for help in estimating your total college costs, check out Iowa Student Loan’s College Funding Forecaster. It's a free app, and you can find it at www.iowastudentloan.org/forecaster. To get started, go to the website and view the 2-minute College Funding Forecaster video. Select next at the bottom of the page to proceed.
Using an award letter that you received from a college or university, enter the following information into the forecaster:
·
Direct Costs
o
Tuition and Fees
o
Room and Board (Housing and Meals)
·
Indirect Costs
o
Books and Supplies
o
Personal Expenses
o
Transportation
o
Other Expenses and Fees
After entering direct and indirect costs, the forecaster automatically calculates and displays the estimated (Total Annual Cost of Attendance) at the bottom of the page. Select next at the bottom of the page to proceed.
On this page, input financial assistance information including:
·
Grants
·
Scholarships
·
Work Study
Also,
enter savings, gifts, and other funding. If applicable, enter estimated
federal and institutional loan information. Remember, student loans are a
form of financial aid that must be repaid. Select next at the bottom of
the page to proceed. Next, view the 1-minute About Your Forecast video. Select next at the bottom of the page to proceed.
After all of the information has been entered into the forecaster, the 4-year College Funding Forecast will be displayed at the top of the page, and the 4-year Forecasted Funding Gap will be displayed at the bottom of the page. Select next at the bottom of the page to proceed.
Finally, a summary page will provide helpful hints to assist you in using your forecast to evaluate any potential gaps in funding. If you have questions or would like help interpreting your college funding forecast, contact your institution’s financial aid department, or feel free to schedule an award letter review appointment with ICAN online at www.icansucceed.org/apt, or by phone at 877-272-4692.
Thank you,
Troy
Troy
ICAN Ankeny/Des Moines Centers
ICAN Ankeny/Des Moines Centers
