FAQ: Does home equity affect financial aid?

student standing in front of college asking Does home equity affect financial aid?

Posit note asking Does home equity affect financial aid?It depends on which colleges you apply to. If you apply to colleges that use the FAFSA only for calculating financial aid, equity in your primary home is not considered.  However, if you apply to schools that use the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, home equity is likely to be considered.

Since each school decides if they use home equity in their methodology and how much to consider, how much home equity will affect financial aid will vary by institution.

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FAQ: How important are extracurricular activities in college admissions?

student in front of college asking How important are extracurricular activities in college admissions?

Post-it note asking how important are extracurricular activities in college admissions?Extracurricular activities are important as a secondary factor in the college admission process.  According to a survey by  the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Grades in College Prep Course,  Strength of Curriculum, Tests Scores, and Grades in all Sources are more important in the admission decision than Extracurricular activities.

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FAQ: What is financial aid gapping?

Student in front of college asking What is financial aid gapping?

Post-it note asking What is financial aid gapping?A financial aid gap occurs when a college’s financial aid award for a student doesn’t meet the student’s financial need as defined by the college. This unmet need is referred to as the gap.

Gapping became a verb as some colleges have earned a reputation for failing to meet student need, especially students admitted with qualifications placing them in the middle to bottom of the class. Students in the bottom quarter of a class in terms of qualification are always at risk of being gapped with the exception of the most competitive institutions that meet 100% of need.

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FAQ: Do I Need to Take Both the SAT and ACT?

A woman stands on a college campus pathway next to a building. A sticky note graphic reads, "College FAQ: Should you take both the SAT and ACT?

Post-it note asking if you need to take both the SAT and ACTNo. All four-year colleges accept both tests. Both the SAT and ACT provide concordance tables to “translate” scores from one test to another.

However, there are reasons why you might want to take both the SAT and ACT. Even with the proposed changes to the SAT in 2016, the tests will not be the same. Therefore, if you do poorly on one, you might do better on the other.

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50-50 Highlights: Liberal Arts Colleges Ranked by Median Earnings

Stacks of money representing liberal arts colleges ranked by salaryEvaluating Liberal Arts Colleges by how much graduates make is antithetical to the concept of a liberal arts education in so many ways. But given the fact that 100 Liberal Arts Colleges now cost more than $50,000, I don’t care how much aid the students are receiving, families have every right to know what kind of pay-off the student can expect. This doesn’t mean that families don’t appreciate the value of a liberal arts education. It’s just recognition that there will bills and loans to repay after graduation.

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How Much Do Colleges Spend on D2 Baseball Programs?

Baseball pitcher throwing ball representing D2 Baseball Programs and ConferencesAs is the case for most sports, Division 2 is the smallest for baseball in the NCAA. According to the Office of Postsecondary Education, in 2013 there were 260 D2 baseball programs in 43 states including Puerto Rico. Pennsylvania had the most with 20, followed by California with 16. Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, New York tied for third with 14 programs each.

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What The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success Really Means

A dog jumping over an obstacle in an agility course on a grassy field. Text overlay reads: "What The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success Really Means.

Dog jumping obstacles representing What The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Succes college application really meansLast September a group of 80 colleges announced a new college application designed to improve access, affordability, and success. They actually call themselves the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success. But for some reason, the counselors who work with high school students, both private and school-based, don’t seem impressed with the new option. Maybe because the Coalition apparently hasn’t even piloted the application yet or listed any committed Community Based Organizations?

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