College Planning

The formula will change for families filling out the form beginning Oct. 1, 2022.

The plan includes an extension of jobless benefits, another round of direct household payments, money for state and local governments and an expansion of vaccinations and virus-testing programs.

Federal legislation will shrink the FAFSA from six pages to two and eliminate a benefit affecting parents with more than one child attending college simultaneously.

When financial aid resources are dwindling, schools start rejecting financial-aid applicants and favor full-pay students instead.

The pandemic has underscored their importance.

A new California bill would protect college savings in its ScholarShare 529 program from creditors.