By Maxim Tamarov, News Staff

Shopping around for colleges, beyond the whole application and acceptance process, can be a hassle for high school seniors. It is often difficult to compare college standings, let alone prices, because until recently there has been no standard form that shows expected aid that students can receive upon enrollment. Now, Northeastern students have access to a guide that can help them figure out the financial side of things.

Northeastern partnered with the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to give students access to the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet, a tool that helps students predict what their financial aid situation is going to look like. The shopping sheet shows what gift aid can be expected, according to the Northeastern Financial Aid website, but does not include additional potential sources of aid from work study or loans.

Northeastern University implemented the standardized financial aid shopping sheet this year to help prospective students make informed financial decisions in choosing their school, according to Northeastern’s Financial Aid website.

According to the Department of Education’s website, President Barack Obama’s administration developed the Sheet and urged colleges to benefit incoming students in July of 2012.

Its figures are based on such sources as Federal Application for Federal Student Aid documentation and College Scholarship Service profile.