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I am now starting to see high school juniors and getting them prepared for what lies ahead. What I am finding is that parents are shocked at the amount of work that goes into applying to college, none the less, applying for financial aid. Things have changed drastically from when we went to college. To […]

An excellent article was recently published in Forbes explaining the process behind admissions and the manner in which financial aid is distributed.  The research and findings in this article is something everyone should strongly consider when applying to colleges and for financial aid.  Showing the school your ability to pay for college may actually put money back

The FAFSA becomes available as of January 1, 2014.  All colleges will require this form for students applying for financial aid.  The process of applying for financial aid can seem daunting to most families.  A myriad of questions run through our minds like will this will hurt my chances for admission, am I answering everything

Most colleges proudly claim to be need-blind, meaning they will not take financial need into consideration when determining admission.  A better student may receive a more attractive financial aid package but a lesser student will not be rejected based on financial need. Need-aware schools such as Tufts, Trinity and Lafayette will admit a majority of students based

Students:  Now that summer is in full swing, you should begin requesting and gathering information from those colleges in which you are interested.  It is important to start this process soon so that you are able to make an “informed choice” for the final for the final list of colleges to which admission applications will

About now, you may be getting requests from your schools for you to update your FAFSA  using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT).  They will ask you to log in to your 2013-14 FAFSA, go to the Financial Section and link directly to the IRS using your PIN.  This link should work as long

In our efforts to simplify a very complicated system, we have compiled a short list of terms you will most definitely come across when preparing for your college years.  We hope this helps! Academic Year: The year in which school is in session – usually September through May. Accrual Date: The date on which interest charges on

The biggest misperception we notice with our clients is the belief that their child is limited to certain schools because of cost.  Parents will naturally assume that the state universities, with an obvious lower price tag, are much less expensive than the private universities.  For in-state students the price difference of a state university is

This is the time of year when high school guidance counselors and representatives from various colleges meet with the parents of high school students preparing for college. They give tips about how to best conquer the application process and how to apply for financial aid.  Often, these representatives will advise against hiring a professional to

The number one question we are asked by almost everyone is “when do we begin the financial aid process?”  Preferably, the process should begin when the student is in their junior year of high school.  Many families get hit with the reality of college in the senior year of high school and this is fine,