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Insider tips for the week of October 16, 2017
10 tips to get the most financial aid – Time magazine has 10 practical tips to help families get the most out of the FAFSA. Take-aways include moving money out of your child’s bank and brokerage accounts and appealing disappointing aid packages. College fair do’s and don’ts – Check out this goofy 3 min…
Insider tips for the week of Sept. 18, 2017
Top 10 things admissions officers care most about – Here are the 10 factors that college admissions officers say they put the most weight on, according to a new survey. One big surprise: Test scores aren’t even in the top three. 7 things to know about college rankings – A must-read for any family…
4 essential FAFSA tips
The FAFSA is now available for families of HS seniors and college students starting October 1 and will use tax info from 2 years prior to the term being applied for (2016 tax year info for students starting college in Fall 2018), which was a change made last year. We see families commonly make significant…
Insider tips for the week of August 21, 2017
5 tips to pay less for college – A great read worth a couple minutes from Jeanmarie Keller. I especially like #4 – build your list of colleges based on your situation and the college’s financial aid policies. Just because you need financial aid doesn’t mean the college has to give it to you. …
Insider tips for the week of July 24, 2017
The #1 college shock, according to other families – What’s the biggest financial surprise awaiting families of college-bound students? Check out the answer from a Money Magazine/Barnes & Noble college survey. 6 questions you need to ask on your college tours – With many families using summer break to visit colleges,…
Federal student loan rates go up for 2017-18
For families that take out federal student loans, college just got a bit more expensive. Starting July 1, 2017, federal loan interest rates are going up for loans taken out to pay for the 2017-18 academic year: Undergrads will pay a rate of 4.45%, up from the current 3.76% Graduate students will pay a rate…
Insider tips for the week of June 5, 2017
What you don’t know about financial aid (but should) – An important 8 min. read from the NY Times. Takeaways include colleges are free to come up with their own ways of defining a family’s ability to pay, don’t check the box on the Common Application if you intend to apply for financial aid b/c…
Insider tips for the week of May 1, 2017
4 questions every family should answer – Jodi Okun shares the questions every family should answer about college, including my favorite, “Who will be repaying the loans?” The parents assume the student will make payments, while the student may assume the parents will make payments. Everyone is surprised after graduation when the payment due notices…
5 tips for negotiating with colleges
For many colleges, May 1 is National College Decision Day, the deadline for families to make deposits to attend the college of their choice. But before families make their final decision and begin forking over lots of money to attend college, they should know it is possible to negotiate with colleges to get a…