If you’re still looking for your dream school, head over to NACAC’s College Openings Update. This list of colleges still accepting applications is released annually in early April, and serves as a reminder that plenty of colleges are happy to welcome students rather than rejecting them. The database allows you to search on numerous criteria including location and availability of…
April is Financial Literacy month, so I’m going to write about some broader topics that might be helpful to you and your student. Starting with credit scores: what are they, how do you get one, why do you care? My friend Jennifer, who’s also a financial advisor, says that a credit score is the adult version of an SAT score….
Financial aid awards come in all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, so do financial aid award letters and comparing them can seem like comparing apples to hot dogs. Here are the key elements to look for: Cost of Attendance. This should be at the top of the award letter and it– not the size of scholarships– should be your starting point…
Scholarships and grants are free money. Does it matter which kind of free money you get, as long as you get some? As a matter of fact, it does. Just to refresh: colleges offer two primary types of financial aid, need-based and merit-based. Need-based aid is allocated on the basis of the FAFSA or CSS Profile and reduces or even…
Outside scholarships can be a great way to stretch your college budget. They can also be an exercise in frustration with countless applications yielding small dollars. Knowing the 5Ws and H of outside scholarships can make your search more rewarding. Let’s start with What is an outside scholarship. An outside scholarship is a scholarship offered by anyone other than the…