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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

College costs even more than you thought it did

NPR has a helpful article on little-known costs of college. My two favorite takeaways: 1) Students living at home aren’t always saving money because they get less access to aid, and 2) Financial aid calculators overestimate how much parents can pay. Take a few minutes to read their 6 key findings.

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…

How is an independent educational consultant different from a HS counselor?

Shane Bybee, owner of of Bybee College Prep, writes a wonderful explanation of how independent educational consultants (IECs) like College Inside Track complement the terrific work being done by high school counselors.

11 Common FAFSA mistakes

We recommend families always complete the FAFSA because you need it to receive any need-based aid, and even if you don’t qualify for financial aid based on your income, some colleges award merit aid (sometimes a few thousand dollars) just for completing it. With some recent changes to the FAFSA, the US Dept of Education recently shared a…