Guiding Students Along Their Pathway to Success
A few months before your child starts college, you’ll receive a bill from the college for your child’s first semester (or quarter) expenses. The college will deduct any financial aid or scholarships, and the bill will show the amount you – the parents – will need to pay before school starts. If you … Read More
If your first choice college offers everything you want but the price tag is making you cringe, don’t give up hope; consider appealing your financial aid award. While colleges and universities won’t encourage such an appeal, the financial aid officers are empowered to make adjustments, if deemed warranted. To appeal, do the following: Do … Read More
Families often experience sticker shock when contemplating the cost of college, but it’s the net price, rather than the sticker price, that prospective students need to consider. Each college publishes the COA or Cost of Attendance at that institution. The COA includes room, board, tuition and fees, along with an estimate for books, personal … Read More
As financial aid packages begin to arrive, families are faced with just how much college will cost. At many schools, self-help is up and gift aid is down. That means that colleges are offering less in the way of tuition discounts or grants, and expect families to assume a greater part of the college … Read More
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
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
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
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