Five Things to Consider When Paying the College Bill Paying for college can be daunting for any family or student, but with the right strategies, planning, and information, you can make it more manageable. Here are five essential things to consider when planning to pay for college: Knowing the Cost in Advance Understanding the true cost of college is the …
Five Key Qs & As About Finding College Scholarships
Five Key Qs & As About Finding College Scholarships College can be expensive. Discovering ways to decrease the cost by finding free money could make the difference between graduating with mountains of debt or not. In this blog post, we will answer five key questions about grants and scholarships. What is the difference between a grant and a scholarship? These …
The Ripple Effect: Understanding How Student Loans Impact Your Student’s Credit Score
For many students, pursuing higher education is a worthwhile investment in their future. However, this pursuit often comes with the financial burden of student loans. Beyond the immediate challenges of repayment, it’s crucial for parents and students to understand how these loans can have a lasting impact on students’ credit scores. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the intricacies …
The Student Aid Index: The New Way to Calculate College Aid
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is about to fundamentally change how eligibility for college financial aid is calculated. Here’s what you need to know and a link to a free calculator to estimate eligibility for college aid using the new methodology. Background On December 27, 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act to simplify the financial aid application form …
Student Loans Can Help Build Strong Credit Scores
College students and graduates can use student loans to build a great credit score. These three steps will help you understand the credit scoring process and how student loans can help young consumers build a high credit score and open opportunities for future borrowing. Step 1: Understand the players and how credit scores are calculated Equifax, Experien, and TransUnion are …
Federal Student Loans – What You Need to Know
Interest rates have increased noticeably over the past year, which means that Federal student loan interest rates will climb as well. When? By how much? Will the rate on this loan increase more in the future? Is there a better option for undergraduate students to borrow for college? These are all questions into which potential college students and their families …
529 Plans: A Bad Name for a Great Way to Save for College … and More
In the 1990s, Congress started 529 college savings programs to help families create a nest egg for college. Although marketers would surely advise against naming a program after a section of the tax code, Section 529 in this case, “529s” grew into a preferred way of saving for college. And now the 529s can be used for more than just …
Understanding And Appealing Financial Aid Award Letters
For gardeners, April showers bring May flowers. For high school seniors, the bloom may already be off the rose. The joy of getting college acceptance letters often quickly fades as the reality of comparing colleges and determining “the one” comes into focus. A great college fit means finding the best collective academic, social, and financial match. But what happens if …
Left on the Table: The Saga of Unclaimed Pell Grant and Scholarship Money
Consider the tried-and-true axiom for the lottery: “You need to be in it to win it”. Well, when it comes to applying for federal financial aid, nearly two million high school students annually are deciding not to play the game whatsoever, a decision that is costing almost half of them the chance for some much-needed assistance in the form of …
Help Me Understand Financial Aid
Paying for college can be overwhelming. Knowing the options and identifying sources of money for your family to pay the college bill is half the battle and there’s no time like the new year to get a handle on the details, especially with financial aid season on the horizon. For most families, the options to pay for college boil down …
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