Paying for College, 2026: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College

A SMARTER WAY TO PAY FOR COLLEGE. Take control of your financial aid experience with this essential guide—the only annual guidebook with line-by-line instructions for completing the FAFSA aid forms! Includes guidance for how to handle delays to the redesigned FAFSA.

“A first-rate guide through the financial aid maze.” —Lynn Brenner, Newsday

“Can save thousands in college bills.” —John Wasik, Forbes

Financing a college education is a daunting task no matter your circumstances--and the recent rollout of the redesigned FAFSA hasn't made things any easier. College finance guru Kalman Chany and the experts at The Princeton Review come prepared with line-by-line instructions for filling out the latest iteration of the FAFSA, and consumer-friendly advice to minimize college costs. Take control with Paying for College, which will help you:

• Maximize your financial aid eligibility

• Explore long- and short-term strategies to reduce college costs and avoid expensive mistakes

• Complete every question on the FAFSA and CSS Profile aid applications to your best advantage

• Compare aid offers and learn how to appeal them if necessary 

• Wrangle continuing complications around the "FAFSA Fiasco" and delayed redesign rollout

Series Overview: The Princeton Review's Paying for College is an annual guide book that helps students minimize college costs by maximizing their financial aid eligibility. It offers line-by-line guidance on filling in the FAFSA form as well as practical advice and strategies for different family and financial statuses.

About the Author

The experts at The Princeton Review have been empowering students, parents, and teachers to achieve their best results at every stage of the education process since 1981. The Princeton Review has helped millions succeed on standardized tests and navigate the complexities of school admission. In addition to classroom courses in more than forty states and twenty countries, The Princeton Review also offers online courses, one-to-one and small-group tutoring, and online services in both admission counseling and academic homework assistance.

Kalman Chany is the founder and president of Campus Consultants, an independent New York-based firm that has helped thousands of families maximize their financial aid since 1984. He has authored articles on college funding for Parade and other publications and has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’s Evening News, CNN’s Your Money, NBC’s Nightly News, and NPR’s Talk of the Nation.