We’re here to support you in the important work you do with students. Below you’ll find resources specifically for you — live and virtual events, recorded trainings, our monthly newsletter, and a variety of FAFSA assets to promote FAFSA completion and help you learn more about the new “Better” FAFSA.
We’ve also compiled resources you can share with your students and families on the financial aid process, filing the FAFSA, and building financial wellness.
Professional Development
Wednesday Webinars
Our monthly virtual training series
FAME’s Wednesday Webinar series provides live, web-based training sessions for school counselors, college access advisors, financial aid counselors, and others whose work involves helping families prepare to pay for higher education and navigate the financial aid process.
These sessions are held monthly on the second Wednesday of each month during the academic year from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday Webinar Schedule
Oct 2026
14
Nov 2026
4
Dec 2026
9
Jan 2027
13
Feb 2027
10
All webinars are recorded. (Click the arrowhead below for a list of previous webinars with links to recordings and presentations.) Webinar recordings are also available on our YouTube channel.
Wednesday Webinar Recordings and Presentations
| Title | Date | Recording | Presentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Pathways for Education After High School | May 2026 | Recorded | |
| Money Management for New College Students | April 2026 | Recorded | |
| The Path to Paying the Bill – Tips to Afford College After Financial Aid | March 2026 | Recorded | |
| Understanding and Comparing Financial Aid Offers | February 2026 | Recorded | |
| Opening doors: Supporting College Access for Homeless and Foster Youth | January 2026 | Recorded | |
| Scholarship Experts Spill the Tea | December 2025 | Recorded | |
| Higher Ed Can Be Affordable | November 2025 | Recorded | |
| Filing the 2026-2027 FAFSA | October 2025 | Recorded | |
| Help Your Students Get Ready to File the 2026-2027 FAFSA | September 2025 | Recorded | |
| H.R. 1’s Impact on Paying for Higher Education | August 2025 | Recorded | |
| Funding Pathways for Workforce and Credentials of Value | May 2025 | Recorded | |
| Unique Ways to Build Financial Wellness with FAME’s Claim Your Future Program | April 2025 | Recorded | |
| Path To Paying The Bill | March 2025 | Recorded | |
| Comparing Aid Offers | February 2025 | Recorded | |
| Resources for New Mainers | January 2025 | Recorded | |
| You Asked for It, We’ve Got It | December 2024 | Recorded | |
| Filing the 2025-26 FAFSA | November 2024 | Recorded | |
| Scholarship Connections | October 2024 | Recorded | |
| Get Ready for the 2025-2026 FAFSA | September 2024 | Recorded | |
| Reworking the Plan – Alternative Pathways Available to Students | May 2024 | Recorded | |
| Comparing Financial Aid Offers and Paying the Balance | May 2024 | Recorded | |
| Claim Your Future Overview and Updates | April 2024 | Recorded | |
| Next Steps in the FAFSA Process | March 2024 | Recorded | |
| After the FAFSA – What We’ve Learned | February 2024 | Recorded | |
| Filing the 2024-2025 FAFSA | January 2024 | Recorded | |
| The 2024-2025 FAFSA is Coming Soon | December 2023 | Recorded | |
| Becoming A Scholarship Insider | November 2023 | Recorded | |
| Get Ready, Get Set, Repay | October 2023 | Recorded | |
| Help Your Students Get Ready to File the 2024-2025 FAFSA | September 2023 | Recorded |
In-Person and Virtual Training Events
Virtual Fall Financial Aid Training
Save the Date! FAME’s Virtual Fall Financial Aid Training will be held on Friday, October 30th from 8:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
This event will feature timely updates, helpful resources, and practical guidance to help students and families navigate the financial aid process. Topics will include FAFSA updates, supporting students with difficult circumstances, using a piecemeal approach, and new resources to plan and pay for higher education, student loans, and more.
The invite with registration link and agenda will be sent in mid-September.
Education Affordability 101 (previously known as Financial Aid 101): In-Person Spring Financial Aid, College Savings, and Financial Wellness Training
Education Affordability 101 is FAME’s annual in-person training for school counselors, college access professionals, educators, and other professionals. This free event offers provide training and resources to those supporting Maine students and families as they plan, save, and pay for higher education. Sessions focus on college saving, financial aid, and financial wellness as well as information on FAME resources and activities.
On April 2, 2026, FAME hosted its 20th annual Education Affordability 101 training at the Augusta Civic Center. The PDF of the presentations and additional resources from the day can be found here: Education Affordability 101 – FAME Maine.
Tuesday Tips
FAME’s monthly newsletter on affording education after high school
Receive news, info, and resources on affording, planning, and paying for higher education on the fourth Tuesday of each month. To explore back issues and subscribe, visit our Tuesday Tips page.
FAFSA Resources
| Promote FAFSA Completion in Your School |
Hang a FAFSA poster in your school or post it to your website.
Mail, hand out, or electronically send postcards to students.
Download our Word doc of sample scripts to use when calling, emailing, or texting families, or to make a PA announcement during school.
| Track Your Students’ FAFSA Filing with FAME’s FAFSA Portal |
FAME’s FAFSA Portal allows eligible high school counselors to access the FAFSA completion status for each of their high school seniors and identify which filers have been selected for verification. For more information, please contact Mila Tappan.
Download our Word doc of sample scripts to use when doing FAFSA follow-up with your students. (Also available in PDF format.)
View FAFSA completion rates by high school and the statewide average. Updated monthly from January through August.
This tool provides an estimate of the 2026-2027 Student Aid Index (SAI) and federal Pell Grant eligibility.
Federal Student Aid’s FAFSA prototype provides the opportunity to explore the 2026-2027 FAFSA ahead of its release. Enter access code prototype2627 when prompted.
This presentation provides counselors, advisors, and financial aid professionals with screenshots of the 2026-27 FAFSA.
Eligibility for a maximum or minimum Pell Grant can now be determined before the FAFSA is filed. Use Pell Grant look-up tables for the 2026-27 academic year to learn more.
Learn the lingo of Better FAFSA! Check out our FAFSA glossary to find the new names for old, familiar terms as well as definitions for new terms introduced with the 2024-2025 FAFSA.
Get a sense of the new “Better” FAFSA process through these nine sample scenarios.
Students and families who have had a change in circumstance or a situation that impacts their ability to pay for college should contact their financial aid office. To help guide your conversations with students and families, this document provides an overview of financial aid appeals, the steps to appeal a financial aid offer, and tips for describing the circumstances that led to the appeal. Share this resource with students and families to help them appeal a financial aid offer.
CSS Profile Resources
The CSS Profile, which is used by over 250 schools to determine eligibility for their institutional financial aid, is very different from the FAFSA.
This document provides counselors, advisors, and financial aid professionals with screenshots of the 2026-27 CSS Profile.
