Paying for College
Scholarship reduction – The dirty little college secret
Would you ever consider a scenario where the scholarships your student won actually resulted in a scholarship reduction elsewhere? One of the students we work with, whom we’ll call Caitlyn, was a dream that every parent (and counselor) hopes for: kind, bright, studious and incredibly engaged in the college process. In addition to having nearly…
Read MoreTravelogue: CIT Consultant Tiffany Kolb Tours a Midwest Hidden Gem, Luther College
Travelogue: CIT Consultant Tiffany Kolb Tours a Midwest Hidden Gem, Luther College. Luther College, located in Decorah, Iowa, is an undergraduate liberal arts college with 2,000 students. The campus sits in the rolling hills of rural Iowa. When I toured the campus, deer were strolling across the green, and they took no note of us,…
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 MoreThe Parent Plus Loan: Pros, Cons, and Sneaky Financial Aid Offers
Check out this short video on the Parent Plus Loan, where 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 sits about 2.5 to…
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…
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