Paying for College
The Parent Plus Loan: Pros, Cons, and Sneaky Financial Aid Offers
The Parent Plus Loan: Pros, Cons, and Sneaky Financial Aid Offers THREE MIN VIDEO. CIT’s Cozy Wittman lays out the pros, cons, and some caveats related to this loan. Parents: carefully examine how your college leverages the loan in your financial aid offer! What are the real numbers? If the Parent Plus Loan…
Read More“When Should You Engage a College Admissions Consultant?” CIT’s Cozy Wittman with The College Financial Lady
CIT’s Cozy Wittman interview: “When Should You Engage A College Admissions Consultant?” When does starting early with a college admissions consultant make sense? For certain groups of students, in the land of college admissions the early bird most reliably catches the worm! An early start may be especially beneficial in terms of both ease of…
Read MoreCongratulations to Sophia Behnke, Augustana College Class of ’26!
Congratulations to Sophia Behnke, Augustana College Class of ‘26! Augustana is a selective, private liberal arts college in Rock Island, Illinois. It sits on 115 hilly, wooded acres adjacent to the Mississippi River, and has a strong reputation for excellence in the creative arts. Remember Sophia’s name, because with world enough and time Sophia one…
Read MoreFAFSA change for small business owners
Add small business owners to the group of people impacted by the upcoming FAFSA changes for the 2023-24 school year. Currently, the value of any privately held business, including assets, with less than 100 employees does not need to be reported on the FAFSA as part of its small business exclusion. This includes a…
Read MoreTravelogue: Dr. Heather McCowen Tours Columbia College Chicago, March 2022
On a cold March morning in 2022, I decided I needed to be neighborly and visit Columbia College Chicago. I have been living amongst the many creative college students at Columbia as we are both located in the South Loop neighborhood of Chicago. I’ve heard their late-night Manifest Festival Concerts, seen their artwork in storefronts…
Read MoreFAFSA 101 with CIT’s Cozy Wittman: The Weekly Wealth Podcast April 6
FAFSFA 101 with Cozy Wittman on The Weekly Wealth Podcast: Listen Now! In this April 6 broadcast, CIT’s Cozy Wittman speaks with David Chudyk on FAFSA-related topics. College planning, college selection, college funding, and even the decision TO go to college can impact the financial lives of students and parents for decades. In this episode, Cozy…
Read More5 things every family should know about their expected family contribution (EFC)
You fill out the FAFSA, which gives you your expected family contribution (EFC), 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 EFC. 1 Your EFC…
Read MoreDual Enrollment, PSEO, College in the Schools? CIT Consultant Kim Koffi on What You Need to Know Now
Kim, we are getting so many queries from families right now about dual enrollment programs. What is dual enrollment? What is PSEO? The Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) is a dual degree program in Minnesota that allows high school juniors and seniors to take college courses outside of their high school in-person or online. They…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of February 28, 2022
Types of loans available – Fred Amrein provides a good summary of the various loans that may be offered to families as part of a college’s financial aid package. Key learning: The Direct Federal Loan is the only one entirely owed by the student and is limited to a total of $31,000 over all…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of February 7, 2022
Expert tips on getting the most scholarships – Suzy Fallon from College Inside Track shares the secret sauce for how families can maximize scholarship dollars. Key takeaway: Each college has its own financial aid philosophy and you want to find those that match with your student’s profile. Take a few minutes to read this…
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