By Kathleen Kingsbury

The YMCA, for example, sponsors College Goal Sundays nationwide, where trained professionals can walk families through the forms. And the Department of Education has a toll-free hotline, 1-800-4-FED-AID.

"Most families will find they are in and out within 30 minutes when they're being guided by a professional," says Haley Chitty, spokesman for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

New federal regulations also help parents to know what to expect going into the process. All institutions receiving Title IV funds - such as federal Pell Grants - are required to provide financial award calculators, which can show estimated cost and aid eligibility. These tools offer a good approximation for most families of how much they will ultimately pay and allows them to compare prices across various prospective schools.

Still, each school may present prices or break down the calculations differently.

"Families should be savvy when reading these results," says Maggie Mittuch, director of financial aid at University of Puget Sound. "Don't be afraid to ask questions if the numbers don't add up."

Each January, the U.S. Department of Education releases the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms which applicants must complete to compete for federal, state or institutional aid.

For many families, submitting the FAFSA should only be their first step to applying for financial aid. If a student realizes that something was omitted on a FAFSA form, or if the family's financial circumstances change (due to a job loss or outstanding medical expenses, for example), they should contact the schools that they are applying to with this additional information. Several schools even have what are called "special circumstances" forms for families to complete in such cases.

"Students should be prepared to hear different things from different schools as to whether their aid package will change," Lindeman says. "But it is important and legitimate that they have that dialogue with the schools."

Ronald Johnson, director of financial aid at UCLA, said parents shouldn't be afraid to advocate for themselves with policymakers, either.

Tuition and fees at public universities have risen dramatically in recent years as states battle falling revenues in challenging economic times.

"It's important for parents to voice their concerns to elected officials," Johnson says. "In these times when funding choices are made between prisons or education or some other service, the louder voices are the ones being heard."

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The author is a Reuters contributor. Opinions expressed are her own.

(Editing by Lauren Young and Bernadette Baum)