Students, parents, and guardians regularly ask questions about the financial aid process. It begins with completing the FAFSA and continues for the entire time a student is enrolled in college and beyond. After graduation students are checking on upcoming student loan payments and potentially asking about graduate or professional school funding. Below are a list Read More

It is time for your students and their parents to begin thinking about completing the FAFSA this Fall and to being getting all their documents together. The FAFSA on the Web Worksheet provides a preview of the questionsthat you may be asked while completing the Free Applicationfor Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) online at fafsa.gov or Read More

If you’re the parent of a college-bound student, you may have been invited to a “free” informational session about repositioning assets in order to reduce your expected family contribution (EFC). These sessions, though, are often thinly disguised pitches for products (like annuities or life insurance) that may end up costing you money instead of saving Read More

Imagine you’ve gone through the hard work of finding, applying, and finally winning a scholarship.  Although this exciting win is considered a good thing in most cases, students may be surprised and disappointed to learn that colleges can potentially reduce their financial aid as a result of their scholarship winnings.  This practice is called “scholarship Read More

A recent annual survey conducted by Discover Student Loans found: Fifty percent of parents with college bound children have saved less than $15,000 for their child’s education Fifty-five percent of parents believe their ability to pay for college has not improved over last year; fears of uncertainty and potential recession drive financial concern for parents. Read More

It’s difficult for any counselor to see a smart, driven student who is unable to pay for college. With costs rising not only for tuition but also for room and board, a degree can easily slip out of reach for deserving students. Fortunately, there are lots of student aid options out there that can provide Read More

Do your students have any questions about financial aid/student loans? Here is an interview conducted by Yahoo Finance’s Aarthi Swaminathan with Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray to discuss student loan debt, tuition inflation, and the student loan payment pause. Here is the link to the video: https://finance.yahoo.com/video/yahoo-finance-presents-richard-cordray-120000791.html

Some schools are now offering Income-Share Agreements (commonly called ISAs) as a new alternative to traditional student loans to help students fund their college educations. These are agreements where the student agrees to pay a portion of their post-grad salary towards paying back any amount of money given towards the students tuition and other college Read More

It makes financial sense to invest in a decent education. On average, college graduates earn more than those with merely a high school education. They are also less likely to be unemployed. These are excellent reasons to attend college, but paying for it with own funds might be tough. Many students rely on loans to Read More

Forbes put together a nice article with tips on how students can pay less for College. Here is the summary of the tips and a link at the end to the article: Focus on Free Money First: There are a lot of grants, scholarships and tuition wavers available that cost nothing. Apply for Financial Aid: Read More