Launching today
AidWaive
Automating the financial aid process
1 follower
Automating the financial aid process
1 follower
AidWaive is a fully bootstrapped fintech and edtech platform helping students and families better navigate college financial aid. Unlike static guides or basic calculators, AidWaive uses AI-powered tools to make financial aid forms, deadlines, and requirements easier to understand. We’re starting with FAFSA and CSS Profile support, with the goal of reducing confusion, saving families time, and helping more students access the aid they need.
Hi, I'm Dhilan, a student at Vanderbilt studying Human & Organizational Development and Economics. I built AidWaive because I watched people around me leave real money on the table during the financial aid process; not because they didn't qualify, but because the system is deliberately confusing and the good guidance is paywalled behind consultants charging hundreds of dollars.
The numbers are staggering. Nearly $3.7 billion in Pell Grants went unclaimed in 2024 alone, because roughly 830,000 eligible high school graduates never completed the FAFSA. About 2 million students who skip the FAFSA each year would have qualified for aid. And that's just federal grants; it doesn't count the billions more left on the table through institutional aid, CSS Profile awards, and unappealed financial aid offers. Some students don't go to their dream school at all; not because they weren't accepted, but because the price felt impossible.
AidWaive gives every student free tools and real answers for every step of the process; from estimating your financial aid package to understanding your offer to comparing awards across schools. But beyond reacting to what you receive, AidWaive helps you plan years in advance; optimizing your financial profile so you walk into the process in the strongest position possible, maximize every dollar you're eligible for, and attend your dream school at the lowest possible cost. No login required. Nothing stored. Just real answers.
The long term vision is bigger. We're building toward fully automating the FAFSA and CSS Profile filing process end to end; so no student ever has to figure this out alone, miss a deadline, or give up on their dream school because they didn't have the right information at the right time.
We're early and hungry for feedback. If you're a student, a parent, a financial aid officer, an investor, or just someone who has been through this process; I'd genuinely love to get in touch. Reach out at dhilanverma.com or drop a comment below.