Connecticut students can request aid estimates before applying

Connecticut high school seniors will soon be able to use MyAidAwards, an AI-assisted financial aid planning tool, to generate recommended aid requests for up to five private colleges. The program starts with the 2027 student aid cycle and is meant to help students judge affordability earlier, before they decide where to apply.

Why it matters: - Connecticut is among the first three states to launch MyAidAwards, an AI-assisted student aid program aimed at helping families assess college affordability earlier in the enrollment process. - The tool could help students compare expected aid, borrowing and family contributions before they commit to applications, campus visits or enrollment decisions. - High school counselors may also use the program to explain FAFSA completion, borrowing limits and the gap between estimated aid and an official award.

What happened: - Connecticut high school seniors will be able to prepare recommended financial aid requests beginning with the 2027 student aid cycle. - Students can send requests to as many as five selected private four-year colleges. - The requests go to colleges in the form of a letter asking them to review the student’s proposed financial plan. - Counselors will be invited to provide students access to MyAidAwards in October 2026, the opening month of the 2027 financial aid cycle. - Student access through participating counselors will be free during that period.

The details: - Students start after completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and receiving their FAFSA Submission Summary. - They enter selected information from that summary into the MyAidAwards platform. - Students choose from 23 Connecticut private institutions included in the program. - MyAidAwards combines student-provided information with publicly available federal, state and institutional data. - The platform can estimate federal and state grants, student loans, family contributions and institutional assistance. - Students can review results in a graphic comparison and side-by-side table. - At the student’s direction, MyAidAwards generates a letter asking each selected college to review the request. - The letter asks colleges to identify outdated information, correct calculation errors and say whether the proposed funding approach appears workable. - The program is designed to supplement, not replace, the financial aid review conducted by colleges. - A MyAidAwards request is not an official financial aid award, an admission offer or a commitment by the institution. - Colleges may review the request, correct information derived from public sources and decide whether the proposed financial plan fits institutional policies and available resources. - The process is intended to give students earlier visibility into the direct cost of attendance, including tuition, required fees and, when applicable, room and board.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects growing pressure on families to understand college costs before making application decisions. - The program also creates a more structured way for students to ask colleges to explain or challenge estimated aid figures before an offer is finalized. - Because colleges can correct public-source data and evaluate whether a plan is workable, the system may surface mismatches between student expectations and institutional policy sooner.

What's next: - Connecticut counselors are expected to begin sharing access with students in October 2026. - Students in the 2027 aid cycle can then use the platform to compare options across participating colleges before deciding whether to apply or continue considering an institution. - The program’s rollout in Connecticut will serve as an early test of the broader national launch across the three participating states.

The bottom line: - MyAidAwards gives Connecticut students a first-pass way to pressure-test college affordability before the formal aid process is complete.