If I had a Top 10 list of frequently-asked questions, this would be on it. When are college costs actually due, and how do you pay them? Is that actually two questions? Your first college payment is the deposit which is paid when you accept admission, normally on or before May 1. Usually this is a nominal (relative to college…

College admissions offers are here, and with them, financial aid awards. No matter how generous the award, chances are good that you’re still thinking, “Wow, this is EXPENSIVE!” If that’s you, here’s some good news: It’s OK to ask for more. More good news: about 3/4 of financial aid appeals result in the student receiving additional aid, according to Sallie…

It seems like every day a new announcement comes out about the Department of Education, federal funding for education or research, or other federal actions impacting colleges. What does all this activity mean– especially for college and college-bound students? Full disclosure: I’m writing this on Friday with the intent of distributing it on Tuesday. The pace of news releases about…

With March comes acceptance letters. That means it’s time to prepare to interpret financial aid award letters. And with the current level of upheaval in the Department of Education meaning a lot of potential unknowns in future years, it’s never been more important to make good financial decisions on college. For most families, how much schools cost is part of…

Outside scholarships can be a great way to stretch your college budget— especially if you’re staring at financial aid offers that don’t quite cover what you need. And sometimes they offer more than just scholarship dollars: my daughter received an outside scholarship that included a career mentor who helped her find an internship that led to a full-time job offer…