Costs – Page 7 – Do It Yourself College Rankings

Facebook Live with TuitionFit.org

03/01/202101/17/2019 by Michelle Kretzschmar

Promotional image for a Facebook Live event by TuitionFit on January 21st at 7:30 pm CST featuring Mark Salisbury, discussing a college funding app, hosted on the DIY College Rankings Facebook page.

ShareTweetFlipEmailPin0 SharesParents of high school seniors and those who help them need to make the time to watch Monday’s Facebook Live with Mark Salisbury of TuitionFit.org. Why? Because this application is the first major shift in righting the information balance in paying for college. Mark Salisbury, the founder, has found the key to making the … Read more

Should You Pay Someone to Complete the FAFSA?

12/20/201812/18/2018 by Michelle Kretzschmar

hands with help sign in piles of paper representing need for fafsa preparers

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(Updated Dec 2018) In July of 2015, the United States government finally gained control of the FAFSA.com website. Until then, the website was owned and operated by Student Financial Aid Service, Inc. which charged students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Over the years, FAFSA.com became the poster child for financial aid scams designed to take advantage students and families trying to get financial aid for college. So does its demise represent the final statement of whether or not students should pay for a private financial aid consultant to complete the FAFSA?

31 Potential Colleges for Students with a Full-Pay Hook

05/31/202310/30/2018 by Michelle Kretzschmar

Money representing colleges for full pay students

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Families that can’t afford to pay the sticker-price for private colleges need to do two things. The first is identify which schools are more likely to provide need or merit aid. The second is avoid those that are less likely to do so. This means steering clear of “dream” schools that may rank in terms of prestige but subsequently aren’t as generous with financial aid as some of their peers.

50-50 Highlights: Most Expensive Colleges for Out-of-State Students and the Cheapest

02/26/202108/30/2018 by Michelle Kretzschmar

toy car on money representing expensive out of state tuition

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Of the 464 colleges and universities on the 50-50 list, 179 of them are public institutions. Furthermore, 50-50 schools are not distributed equally among all of the states. That means that if you want to start your search with the largest number of schools possible, you don’t want to immediately eliminate out-of-state public institutions.

50-50 Highlights: Most Affordable Public University by State

02/26/202108/23/2018 by Michelle Kretzschmar

Money representing Most Affordable Public University by State

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One factor that will determine how much you pay for college is location. I’ve talked before about how students who insist only on schools in the northeast or on the coasts will pay for the privilege. Geography can actually be a hook depending on the location of the college and the student. Here, I’m going to cover how location can affect how much you pay to attend a public university.

Public Universities Where at Least Half of Students Graduate

02/26/202106/28/2018 by Michelle Kretzschmar

college graduates representing public university graduation rates

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The idea behind the 50-50 school listing is to identify colleges that meet a basic standard, graduation rates, while accepting more students than they reject. However, acceptance rates of 50% or better do not guarantee accessibility for many students. The fact is that the majority of the 50-50 schools are private and not all are generous with their financial aid.

Most Expensive Public Universities for Out-of-State Students

02/26/202106/05/2018 by Michelle Kretzschmar

A pink piggy bank wearing a graduation cap is placed on top of scattered dollar bills, symbolizing the financial burden faced by students attending some of the most expensive out-of-state public universities.

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Most people understand that private colleges have a much higher price tag than public universities which is why many never consider private schools. This is a shame since there are some private colleges that offer great opportunities along with generous financial aid. What a lot of people don’t realize is that out-of-state public institutions generally have the worst characteristics of both public and private colleges. They have the high price of private colleges with the limited financial aid of public universities.

What You Need to Know About ROTC Scholarships

05/08/201805/08/2018 by Kuni Beasley

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(The following is a guest post by Dr. Kuni Beasley. ROTC scholarships offer more money than most National Merit Scholarships and can be used at more institutions.)

Most people do not know about ROTC scholarships. Indeed, most high school counselors and most professional consultants know little about them… if at all. The Army, Navy (includes Marines), and Air Force provide ROTC scholarships to students to attend civilian colleges and become commissioned officers. Over 1100 colleges have ROTC, from Harvard to Berkeley to the Northern Marianas College to the University of Alaska – Fairbanks.

50-50 Highlights: Most Expensive Colleges

02/28/202105/03/2018 by Michelle Kretzschmar

student standing in front of word college representing most epensive colleges

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The point of the 50-50 schools list is to identify colleges and universities that most students can get into while meeting a minimum standard for college graduation. However, just because a school is academically accessible doesn’t mean that students can afford to attend. Some of the most expensive colleges make the list. Like colleges and universities in general, colleges on the 50-50 list vary dramatically in their financial aid generosity.