Posts by Chris Wills
Full pay as a college strategy
While many families are looking for ways to reduce the cost of college, a new strategy has emerged that actually seeks to pay the full amount for college. The ability to pay the full sticker price can make families more attractive to schools, and thus increase their chances of getting accepted. According to…
Read MoreStudent Aid Index (SAI) – 5 things to know
You fill out the FAFSA, which gives you your Student Aid Index (SAI), which is how much your family will pay for college. Seems simple right? Ah, but like most things with the college process, that is unfortunately not the case. Here are 5 things every family should know about that SAI. 1…
Read More4 Mistakes Families Make That Raise The Cost Of College
College Inside Track President Chris Wills was featured on the WCCO Sunday morning show with Esme Murphy sharing mistakes families should avoid that could unnecessarily raise the cost of college. Among his suggestions: Have a clear game plan for how you are going to pay for college, and avoid the philosophy of “if you get in,…
Read More6 Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next College Tour
Chirping birds, beautiful old buildings covered in ivy, large century trees and an eager student chatting and walking backward. This is what many of us experience during our kid’s college tours. I’ve been on many, many tours during the searches for my kids and in addition to the painted picture here, I noticed one other…
Read More5 Nuggets of College Planning Wisdom
1 Choose a college that is a fit academically, socially AND financially. And a financial fit inherently means that neither the student nor the parents are over-borrowing (see #2). 2 Borrow an amount no greater than the average first-year salary in your chosen field. If total student loan debt is less than your starting salary,…
Read More4 guidelines for taking on student loan debt
Identify the average starting salary for the field the student is planning to go into, and the family should not have any more than that number in total education loans. Considering a school that would leave you with $35,000 debt for an undergraduate electrical engineering degree? That would pass the test for an acceptable amount…
Read More3 things to consider before making your college decision
May 1 is National College Decision Day, the deadline for students to make deposits to attend the college of their choice. But before you send in that check, here are three important things to consider: 1. Affordability is part of fit Many students choose their college based on academic and social fit…
Read MoreTop 5 ways to get more scholarship dollars
Everyone is looking for more scholarship dollars to help offset the cost of college, but the key is understanding what strategies are the most effective. Build the right college list Many families build a college list based on their student’s right academic and social fit (and often aspirations) and leave the financial aspect…
Read MoreWhat is scholarship stacking?
By Anne Weber There’s a term in higher education that people may use when talking about financial aid: scholarship stacking. Scholarship stacking refers to the ability to layer or add up aid, grants, and scholarships from multiple sources. The idea is that a student might be able to secure funding from different…
Read MoreSmall Business Owner Exclusion for Financial Aid Restored
The small business owner exclusion is back. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) reversed a change made in the FAFSA simplification act, by reinstating the small business owner exclusion as part of the federal financial aid formula on the FAFSA. Beginning with any new FAFSA’s completed for the 2026-27 school year, the value…
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