Guiding Students Along Their Pathway to Success
If you’ve applied for financial aid and filed all the paperwork by the appropriate deadline, an award letter outlining a college’s offer of financial assistance should arrive close on the heels of your notification of acceptance. Here’s a guide to understanding what that package really means. The bottom line in comparing financial aid packages … Read More
If you’re the parent of a high school senior and you’re thinking about how to pay for college without going broke, it’s a whole new, expensive world. In this world there are just two kinds of money: “Great money – or Free money” – and “Not-so-Great- money”. Free Money Free money is a … Read More
As we have often said, paying for college is a significant challenge for many families. Once all types of grants, scholarships, work study options, jobs and family contributions are cumulatively considered, many families find they must borrow money to cover the remaining costs. Unlike the grants and scholarships, loans must be repaid — with … Read More
Although many middle-class and upper income families will not qualify for need based aid, they still may find the cost of attendance at most private colleges intimidating. Have you ever wondered what you can do to improve your chances of getting merit aid from a college? An intriguing study from the University of Rochester … Read More
The bulk of college financial aid money comes from the federal government; this aid is distributed by colleges using information supplied by families when they complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), available on October 1st. About 400 colleges, universities and scholarship programs, however, use an additional form, the CSS Profile, to … Read More
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the primary form used by colleges to determine eligibility for need-based aid. In some cases, colleges will not consider an applicant for merit aid unless that student has first submitted a FAFSA. The FAFSA should be filed as soon as possible after October 1st of … Read More
Before students leave for college, families need to have a conversation about reasonable spending expectations. Parents need to be aware of the costs of books, clubs, activities and midnight pizza runs. But students shouldn’t assume there is a limitless debit card at their disposal. Most would agree that parents owe it to their children … Read More
Media stories about the rising cost of a college education and student debt, combined with the lingering economic effects of the recession, have led many people to question whether it still makes financial sense to attend college. The answer is a resounding yes, according to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. … Read More
Now that the heavy-lifting is done on college applications and the students have had a bit of a break from sharing their innermost thoughts in college essays, it’s time to gear up and start searching for ways to pay for their dreams. One of the biggest college admissions misconceptions that parents enjoy discovering is … Read More
You’ve probably seen the headlines suggesting that debt for college students is out of control and getting worse. But, is it really? New data from the research arm of the College Board provide some answers. Since 1983, the College Board has analyzed data gathered from both the U.S. Department of Education and colleges to … Read More