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Insider tips for the week of August 22, 2016
Below are our insider tips to help your family with the complicated college process! How one student saved $20,000 on college – It wasn’t lots of scholarships but rather some very savvy planning and decisions. In this must-read for you and your child, Money’s Megan Leonhardt provides a terrific playbook on how average families…
Insider Tips for the Week of August 1, 2016
Below are our insider tips to help your family with the complicated college process! Scholarships with August deadlines: Check out this terrific list from our friend Jessica Velasco and find a couple that may be a good fit for your child. 15 things every parent needs to know – A thought-provoking list from…
Asset protection allowance down sharply
As if paying for college wasn’t hard enough for families, the amount of assets you are allowed to have that are exempt from the federal financial aid formula plummeted by 29% from just a year ago and a stunning 60% from 10 years ago. First, a quick overview of the asset protection allowance: The general concept is…
6 Steps to Admissions Success online course
Do you have questions about applying to college? Taught by CIT’s Dr. Matthew Andrews, our free course helps students and parents walk through the essential steps to prepare and apply for college. The course introduces 6 steps with instructions, worksheets, and lectures that explain how to apply for admission to college. Information in this course includes hyperlinks to resources,…
6 Steps to Admissions Success eBook
Written by CIT’s Dr. Matthew Andrews, this eBook teaches students, parents, and mentors the essential 6 steps of college applications with strategies to improve an applicant’s chances of admission to college. The book includes instructions, worksheets, and explanations on how to apply for admission to college. Information includes hyperlinks to websites to search for colleges,…
MOO regional meeting slide show 7-14-16
Click the link below to download Chris Wills’ slide show from the MOO regional meeting on July 14, 2016. CIT Chris Mutual of Omaha power point
New FAFSA rules help grandparents contribute
With future FAFSA forms now using tax returns from two years prior (known as “prior prior” in the college world), that adds another year that family members can help pay for college without it negatively affecting financial aid eligibility. First, some quick background: The three main factors used to calculate financial aid eligibility are Non-retirement…
Jay on the College Checklist Podcast
In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, Jay Benanav discusses the financial aid appeal process. Appealing financial aid something that not many families know they can do. However, it can be as simple as writing a financial aid appeal letter and asking for what you need to make that school financial feasible for your family. Of…
Beware of bait-and-switch pricing
This helpful article from US News and World Report points out the financial aid award you receive only applies to the first year and some colleges reduce aid in subsequent years (or students don’t meet the criteria to continue to qualify). Either way, if combined with tuition increases, your family could be paying a lot…