Answers before you start

No. Every course and lesson is free to read, with no account and no sign-in. There is nothing to buy anywhere on the site.

The lessons in each course build on one another, so reading them in order is easiest. Each one also stands on its own, so you can go straight to the lesson that answers your question.

Each lesson takes a few minutes to read, and the course page shows the total. The planner on the home page works out a finishing date from the time you have each week.

No. The courses are for your own understanding, and each lesson ends with a short list of things to try that week instead.

No. Only your school and the agencies that run each program can decide that. The lessons explain how those decisions are made so you can read the result and ask good questions.

No. The FAFSA is free and you file it yourself at studentaid.gov. The FAFSA course walks through each screen so you know what each question means before you answer it.

Your school's financial aid office. The Who to ask page lists the campus offices, what each one handles and what to bring when you contact them.

No. It is an independent education website with no connection to the U.S. Department of Education, any school, lender or scholarship provider.

Occasional emails, and texts if you ask for them, about new lessons and the dates in the aid calendar. They come directly from StudentReach, and you can stop them at any time.

Reply STOP to any text. You will receive one message confirming the change and nothing after that. Emails carry a link to stop them too.

No. Your details are used to send the updates you asked for and to answer your questions. They are never sold or passed to a school, lender or anyone else for their marketing.

No. The planner runs in your browser and sends nothing. Lessons you mark as read are remembered only in your own browser, and you can clear them there.