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November 2023

collegefinancingplan@ed.gov

U.S. Department of Education 

COLLEGE FINANCING PLAN

Technical Reference Guide 

Undergraduate Students
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Table of Contents

1 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................... 2

1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 3

1.2 Important Contact Information........................................................................... 3

2 DATA LAYOUT............................................................................................................. 4

2.1 Student Information ........................................................................................... 4

3 GLOSSARY................................................................................................................... 9

List of Figures

Figure 1-1: College Financing Plan ..................................................................................... 2

Figure 2-1: Annotated College Financing Plan ................................................................... 4

Figure 3-1: Glossary............................................................................................................. 9

List of Tables

Table 2-1: Student Information Section............................................................................... 5

Table 2-2: Element and Control ID for Responsive College Financing Plan ..................... 6
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1 OVERVIEW 

The United States Department of Education’s College Financing Plan, shown in Figure 1-1, is a 

consumer tool that institutions can use to notify students about their financial aid package. The 

Department’s “College Financing Plan” is a standardized form. It is designed to simplify the 

information that prospective students receive about costs and financial aid so that they can 

easily compare institutions and make informed decisions about where to attend school. 

Figure 1-1: College Financing Plan
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1.1 Introduction 

This Technical Reference Guide provides programmer specifications and record layouts for 

vendors and/or institutions that choose to adopt the College Financing Plan. This guide offers a 

methodical approach, rather than a task-oriented approach, to implementing the tool. It is 

intended for users who are already familiar with, or interested in using, the College Financing 

Plan as a supplement or replacement to the institution’s existing award letter. 

The framework/structure of the College Financing Plan is designed using Hypertext Markup 

Language (HTML), and the actual file containing the HTML code is provided by the U.S. 

Department of Education. This document will give you a better understanding of the various 

elements required to produce and populate the applicable fields using the institution’s existing 

data. In addition, this document assumes that the reader understands HTML, and has the required 

knowledge to edit the provided code. 

1.2 Important Contact Information 

Please direct any questions, feedback, or comments to the U.S. Department of Education at 

collegefinancingplan@ed.gov. For more information on producing the College Financing Plan, 

including information on the HTML file, please visit 

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/guid/aid-offer/index.html.
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2 DATA LAYOUT

Figure 2-1 provides annotations for the College Financing Plan template. 

Figure 2-1: Annotated College Financing Plan

Outlined below are the data elements in each section and the information required to produce and 

populate the College Financing Plan. 

2.1 Student Information 

This section contains information specific to the institution and the prospective student including 

the estimated cost of attendance, possible grant and scholarship aid, work options, loan options, 

and so on. The data required to populate the Student Information section are provided by the 

institution. Table 2-1 outlines each “Subsection” and provides a “Description” of its intended use 
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Table 2-1: Student Information Section

Subsection Description

Student Name/Identifier The prospective student’s name and identifier 

(as assigned by the institution). 

Date Issued The month, day, and year that the College 

Financing Plan was created to notify the 

prospective student about their financial aid 

package. 

Institution Name The name of the institution providing the 

College Financing Plan. 

Total Cost of Attendance 2024-2025

• Tuition and fees 

• Housing and Food

• Books and supplies 

• Transportation 

• Other education costs 

• Estimated Cost of Attendance 

This information is generated by the institution 

itself and should provide a clear understanding 

of the costs associated with one year of 

enrollment at the institution for the named 

student. 

Student Aid Index

• Based on FAFSA 

• Based on Institutional Methodology 

At most institutions, the expected family 

contribution is based on the FAFSA results; 

however, if an institutional methodology is used, 

that result may be provided. 

Scholarship and Grant Options 

Scholarships 

 Merit Based Scholarship

• Scholarships from your school 

• Scholarships from your state 

• Other scholarships 

• Employer paid tuition benefits 

• Total scholarships 

Grants 

 Need-Based Grant Aid

• Federal Pell grants 

• Institutional grants 

• State grants 

• Other forms of grant aid 

• Total grants 

This should include all financial aid options 

available to the named student to assist with the 

costs outlined above. 

VA Education Benefits Benefits that help Veterans, service members, 

and their qualified family members with needs 

like paying college tuition, finding the right 
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school or training program, and getting career 

counseling.

College Costs You Will Be Required to Pay

• Net Price

This number reflects the net cost of attendance 

for the named student after grants and 

scholarships are taken into account. 

Loan options 

• Federal Direct Subsidized Loan 

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan 

• Total Loan Options

At most institutions, the recommended loan 

amounts for the named student are based on the 

FAFSA results; however, an institutional 

methodology may also be used. 

Other Options

• Tuition payment plan offered by the 

institution

• Parent PLUS loans, which your parent 

can apply for

• Non-Federal Private education loan, 

which you or your parent can apply for 

after passing a credit check

• Other Military or National Service 

Benefits

Students may have other options to repay the 

remaining costs. 

Work options 

• Work-Study hours per week 

(estimated)

• Other Campus Job 

• Total Work

At most institutions, the expected work award 

amounts for the named student are based on 

the FAFSA results; however, an institutional 

methodology may also be used. 

Customized information Institutions can use this section to add 

additional, customized information specific to 

the institution and the named student. 

For more information and next steps 

• Financial Aid Office Contact Information 

(Address, Telephone, and E-mail) 

Specific contact information for the 

institution’s financial aid office including the 

address, telephone number, and e- mail 

address. 

Table 2-2 lists each “Element” used within the Student Information section, along with its 

assigned “Control ID” (as it is displayed within the College Financing Plan HTML code). 

Table 2-2: Element and Control ID for Responsive College Financing Plan

Element Control ID

School Name school-name 

Student Name/Identifier student-name 
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Date Issued date-stamp 

Download Button download-btn 

Cost Section Header costs-table 

Tuition and fees costs-tuition-and-fees 

On-campus housing and food costs-housing-and-food-on- campus 

Off-campus housing and food costs-housing-and-food-off- campus 

Books and supplies costs-books-and-supplies 

Transportation costs-transportation 

Other educational costs costs-other-education-costs 

Estimated Cost of Attendance On campus costs-total-estimated-cost-on- campus

Estimated Cost of Attendance Off campus costs-total-estimated-cost-off- campus 

Student Aid Index Header family-table 

Based on the FAFSA family-fafsa-cost 

Based on Institutional Methodology family-institution-cost 

Scholarships Section Header scholarships-table 

Scholarships from your school aid-scholarships-school 

Scholarships from your state aid-scholarships-state 

Other scholarships aid-scholarships-other 

Employer Paid Tuition Benefits employer-paid-tuition-benefits 

Total Scholarships aid-total-scholarships 

Grant Section Header grants-table 

Federal Pell Grants aid-grants-federal-pell 

Institutional Grants aid-grants-institution 

State Grants aid-grants-state 

Other forms of grant aid aid-grants-other 

Total Grants aid-total-grants 

VA Education Benefits va-education-table

VA Education Benefit va-education-benefit

College Costs You Will be Required to Pay 

Header 

net-price-table 

Net Price net-price-total 

Loan Options Section Header loan-options-table 

Federal Direct Subsidized Loan loan-options-federal-direct-subsidized 

Federal Direct Subsidized Loan Interest Rate loan-options-federal-direct-subsidized-rate
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Federal Direct Subsidized Loan Origination Fee loan-options-federal-direct-subsidized-loanorigination_fee

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan loan-options-federal-direct-unsubsidized

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Interest Rate loan-options-federal-direct-unsubsidized-rate

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Origination Fee loan-options-federal-direct-unsubsidized-loanorigination_fee

Total Loan Options loan-options-total 

Work Options Section Header work-options-table 

Work-Study work-options-work-study 

Work Study Hours Work-options-hours-per-week

Other Campus Job work-options-other-campus-job 

Total Work work-options-total 
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3 GLOSSARY

The Department has added a glossary as a second page to the College Financing Plan. 

This addition will help better explain financial aid terms used on the College Financing Plan to 

students, financial aid administrators, and guidance counselors. 

Figure 3-1: Glossary

Glossary of College Finanacing Plan for Undergradauate School students