(Updated for 2023) If you want to get any financial aid, you need to submit college financial aid applications such as the FAFSA and PROFILE. This is obviously a critical step: no application, no aid. But if you want to pay less for college, it certainly isn’t the first step. The fact is that the FAFSA … Read more
When my son was small and I would tell him to do something, he would ask why and I would tell him because “it’s in the parent’s manual.” He got really curious about that manual. Where was it? (I wasn’t allowed to tell him.) When did we get it? (At the hospital, of course, you … Read more
For the past few years, Troy Onink has had a Guide To FAFSA, CSS Profile, College Financial Aid And Expected Family Contribution at Forbes Magazine. It’s a great article that explains critical elements of the college financial aid process. I think the most valuable part of the guide is the Federal EFC Quick Reference Table. … Read more
Rule 5: The Largest Scholarship will Come from the Schools the Student Applies to. CONNECT WITH OTHER PARENTS PLANNING FOR COLLEGE JOIN THE COFFEE CUP COLLEGE PLANNING FACEBOOK GROUP
Yes, you can use college rankings to find affordable colleges.
Location can cost you.
Rule 2: Reach Schools Will Cost You
Rule 1: The FAFSA is NOT the key to paying for college.
With the availability of more free information on the internet than we know what to do with, the suggestion of reading a book to understand a topic may seem, well, old-fashion. But it’s precisely because of the information overload spawned by the internet that books can be a great investment. A good book will present … Read more