A wave of selective private colleges have raised their free-tuition income thresholds this year, and the number worth knowing is $200,000. That’s where several major universities now draw the line for a tuition-free offer, a threshold that would have seemed unthinkable at most schools a decade ago. Vanderbilt announced the latest expansion in September, raising Read More

A growing number of states have turned the FAFSA into part of earning a high school diploma, an approach often called “universal FAFSA.” Every version works the same basic way: a senior either files the FAFSA, files a state alternative application, or signs a short opt-out form. No state requires a family to share financial Read More

You want your essay to be the one that is passed around the admissions office…. or not. It’s a little bit like the difference between being famous and infamous. We all know that a sincere, well-written essay that provides insights about how the student has matured is occasionally shared among the admissions staff. But I’m Read More

Whether your college-bound students plan on going next year or the year after, there are steps the parents can take to help the child get their degree without sabotaging their savings or retirement. Here are some tips for you to share with them. If they started in fall 2026 Families may have been surprised that Read More

Colleges are putting serious money into campus tours, and Inside Higher Ed reports on why. Studies have found that visiting is one of the strongest predictors of whether a student enrolls, and in a summer Niche survey, 92 percent of enrollment leaders at small colleges named the campus visit their single most important strategy for Read More

Counselors are hearing more questions about AI and careers than almost any other topic right now, and two new pieces of data are worth having on hand for those conversations. The first is a Census Bureau working paper that tracked recent graduates before and after ChatGPT arrived in late 2022. Researchers ranked majors by how Read More

The testing picture keeps shifting, and this month brought developments at both ends of the spectrum. Columbia’s announcement that it will reinstate its requirement means all eight Ivy League schools have either brought testing back or plan to, as Higher Ed Dive reported. Meanwhile, the University of California regents opened their first sustained public discussion Read More

The college admissions process is often referred to as the black box of higher education. What really goes on inside the college admissions office? Do they really read all those essays? Yes, they do. If you write it, they will read it. But please, please, write it well, make it interesting, and maybe even try Read More

The Department of Education launched the 2027-28 FAFSA on September 23, the earliest release in the form’s history and just over a week ahead of the October 1 deadline Congress set. Beta testing wrapped up earlier this month, so the form is now open to every student and family. For seniors, that means aid applications Read More