Many families are shocked by a college's sticker price. While the cost of tuition can be overwhelming, financial aid can make higher education affordable.

In fact, income and savings represent only a few of the resources families use to pay students' college expenses, according to the annual Sallie Mae/Ipsos survey How America Pays for College. The 2021 survey found that for a typical family, scholarships covered 16% of college costs in 2020-2021. Scholarships and grants are types of college financial aid that don't need to be repaid.

With the complexity of paying for college, navigating the financial aid process can be challenging. Here are a few answers to common financial aid questions.

College financial aid helps students and their families by covering higher education expenses such as tuition and fees, room and board, books and other coursework supplies, and transportation.

There are several types of financial aid:

Different types of aid are provided through various sources, such as federal and state agencies, colleges, high schools, foundations and corporations, to name a few. The amount of aid a student receives depends on federal, state and institutional guidelines.

Keep in mind that the way federal financial aid works is that a student must first apply for the aid by answering a series of questions used to determine his or her ability to pay for college.

Then, aid is awarded based on that application, and the student has the choice to accept or reject the aid offered. The type of aid offered determines whether it will have to be repaid. Sometimes, a student must complete additional applications to be considered for scholarships or private aid.

The first step is to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA. This application is used by many state agencies and schools to determine college aid.

The FAFSA is available through the U.S. Department of Education's website. Families can begin filling out the form as early as Oct. 1 for the following academic year. The deadline for the FAFSA is June 30 for those attending college in the fall. But that deadline is only for federal financial aid. Many schools and colleges that use the FAFSA to determine aid set earlier deadlines.

Some schools – mostly private colleges – use a supplemental form called the College Scholarship Service Profile, or CSS Profile, to determine how to give out their own funds. This form is more detailed than the FAFSA and can be more time-consuming to complete.

The initial submission fee for the CSS Profile is $25; each additional report is $16. But fee waivers are available. Undergraduate students with a family income of $100,000 or less, for instance, can file the form at no cost.

A list of schools that require the CSS Profile can be found on the website for the College Board, the organization that administers and maintains the application.

"Bear in mind, the CSS Profile will dig much deeper into your family's finances than the FAFSA," says Joseph Orsolini, president of College Aid Planners Inc.

There are two types of aid: need-based and merit-based.

Federal need-based aid, for instance, is determined by a family's demonstrated ability to pay for college as calculated by the FAFSA.

Merit aid, on the other hand, can be awarded by an institution, college or private organization to a student for a specific talent or an athletic or academic ability. These awards aren't based on financial need.

Pay attention to deadlines, experts recommend. It's important to meet college financial aid deadlines, which vary by institution.

The University of Iowa for example, sets its financial aid priority deadline for Dec. 1, which is early compared with many other schools. Aid at the university is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Although you can apply for financial aid throughout the year, funding for some financial aid programs may be depleted. You may meet the qualifications for certain types of aid, but not be offered that aid because the funding has run out," according to Iowa's website for the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Other colleges have later deadlines. UNC, for instance, sets its deadline for March 1.

"A student wants to be aware of deadlines for each school that they are applying to," Somero says. "Missing a deadline by a day at UNC, for instance, can cost a student $5,000 to $6,000 in free aid versus a parent loan or other types of student loans they have to take out to meet the need. So deadline dates are critical, and they can vary from school to school. So students want to ensure that they file before the priority deadline date."

But it's not just institutional deadlines that parents and students should note.

"Some states have early deadlines for state grant eligibility, and some schools may not be able to provide as generous a financial aid offer if the application is late," says Brad Lindberg, assistant vice president of enrollment and administrative services at Grinnell College in Iowa. "Getting organized about the deadlines and the application requirements is truly the first step in any application process."

College financial aid officers say that while there are many similarities between how schools award aid, each has its own unique process for processing applications and awarding aid. Some schools offer larger financial aid packages than others, just like some institutions charge higher tuition rates compared with other schools.

For example, although some schools claim to meet full financial need for the cost of attendance with aid, those packages may include loans. A handful of institutions, including University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill and Pomona College in California, package financial aid awards with no loans regardless of a family's household income.

Financial aid award letters typically arrive in the mailboxes of college-bound students in early spring – usually after or at the same time as a college acceptance offer.

"A student can expect to see an award letter anywhere from December through April, depending on the school," Somero says.

The process of appealing an award is known as a professional judgment review.

However, students may not know that appealing an award decision is possible. According to a 2020 College Ave Student Loans survey conducted by Barnes & Noble College Insights, 30% of students would have reached out to the financial aid office to ask for more aid in hindsight.

But according to Orsolini, "You need more than 'I need more money' to appeal a financial aid award." Families need a legitimate reason for schools to re-examine students' financial situations, he adds.

To be successful with an appeal, families need to demonstrate there's been a significant change in their financial circumstances since they submitted their application, says Dan Blednick, senior director of college guidance at TEAK Fellowship, a nonprofit organization that serves students from low-income families in New York City.

College financial aid experts say a family will usually be asked to submit a letter summarizing the special circumstance that affects their ability to pay. A qualifying special circumstance might be a recent job loss, divorce, death in the family, out-of-pocket medical expenses or care costs needed for an elderly parent, to name a few examples.

"I would recommend trying to connect with a specific person in the college's financial aid office who is assigned to your case," says Blednick, who advises providing documents that reflect a need for additional funding.

Until the funding runs out from the CARES Act and Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, colleges like ODU – which has distributed more than $30 million in federal coronavirus relief money – continue to offer financial assistance and resources to students affected by the pandemic, according to Dané.

"Families have experienced challenges and the additional revenue can help them pay for their educational expenses," she adds, "like online learning or needing more reliable technical equipment and internet access."

COVID-19 has resulted in more students appealing their financial awards due to special considerations, including a significant change in their families' finances, experts note.

Prospective and returning students applying for financial aid for the 2022-2023 academic year may need to notify their college of any changes in their financial situation through a special circumstances form, Orsolini says.

"The FAFSA form asks nothing about the impact of Covid, so families need to reach out to the colleges individually if they have been impacted," he wrote in an email. "The CSS Profile does give you a chance to address the Covid impact on its form. It asks if your family was impacted and allows a section for explanation. Although it is still a good idea to follow up with the college individually to make certain they know."

But it's important for students to have a backup plan to pay for college in case resources are limited, Blednick says, regardless of the impact of COVID-19 on their family finances.

"Keep an open mind, keep your options open," he adds. "There should be a financial aid safety net for all students – consider state universities, consider community colleges, and in New York, we have the CUNY system as well. For those middle income families, think outside of the box to look at colleges that offer additional merit aid, which can be figured out by checking the financial aid websites."