Here is an article I wrote for another advisor’s site on college affordability.
Monthly Archives: September 2017
Aid Formulas
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, this is a bit of a refresher post.
There are three aid formulas: Federal methodology (FM), based on the FAFSA; Institutional Methodology (IM), based on the CSS PROFILE; and Consensus Methodology (CM), which uses both aid forms. Each is a different way of calculating a family’s Continue reading Aid Formulas
Home Equity and Aid Formulas
With price gains in most housing markets nationwide over the last few years, parents need to understand how aid formulas treat home equity. The good news: the FAFSA doesn’t consider home equity. The bad news: the CSS PROFILE requests information on home equity, and schools using the CSS PROFILE may calculate your home equity’s value for EFC purposes in one of three different ways: Continue reading Home Equity and Aid Formulas
FAFSA is Coming
The FAFSA for next school year will be available starting Oct. 1, so now is a good time to start getting ready for it. A few key points: Continue reading FAFSA is Coming
What Colleges Can You Afford?
As fall kicks into gear, students begin looking in earnest at colleges. Kids tend to focus on a few core aspects of colleges when creating and narrowing down a list: majors available, location, big vs small. Later in the school year, I get calls from panicked parents whose students have fallen in love with and often been accepted to wonderful Continue reading What Colleges Can You Afford?
