If you are advising a student who needs help paying for college, remember that the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is something that you should file.
The FAFSA is a form that the Government provides online to help colleges understand a family’s financial picture and to determine eligibility for federal, state and school-sponsored financial aid. Read more
In the eyes of many college admissions officials, the “perfect” applicant is a student who has a top GPA, near-perfect scores on the ACT or SAT tests, and whose family is ready and able to pay full tuition.
Yes, applicants who meet those criteria will not have any problem getting into the colleges of their choice. But let’s face reality. How many students are you teaching or counseling who can meet all those criteria? Chances are, very few. But the good news today is that because colleges are working hard to fill their incoming classes, there are plenty of colleges out there who are eager to admit students who don’t necessarily hit all those high benchmarks.
Many of today’s colleges want your students, just the way they are. And in today’s post, we will explain how “imperfect” students can still be admitted to great colleges of their choice. Read more
Are you a high school student, a parent, a teacher, or a college counselor? Remember, it is never too early to start researching sources of financial aid.
First, speak to the financial aid officers at the colleges you are considering. Take notes and follow their advice and instructions. Don’t overlook important details, such as application deadlines. Read more
The recent revelation that Columbia University – that’s right, that Columbia University, the one that is a pillar of the Ivy League – was misreporting data to USNews has further discredited the college rankings that are published there.
Can anyone continue to believe that the USNews rankings, which once were considered valuable by students, parents, and guidance counselors, contain information that is accurate or reliable? Read more
“Today, the Department of Education announced steps that will bring borrowers closer to public service loan and income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness by addressing historical failures in the administration of the federal student loan programs. Federal Student Aid (FSA) estimates that these changes will result in immediate debt cancellation for at least 40,000 borrowers under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Several thousand borrowers with older loans will also receive forgiveness through IDR. More than 3.6 million borrowers will also receive at least three years of additional credit toward IDR forgiveness.”
“My older son, who is graduating from an elite college this year, was most looking for high status in the colleges he put on his list five years ago. Now our daughter, who is just as accomplished academically, is thinking about costs and the careers that colleges can prepare her for. It looks like a new era of practicality has dawned.”
– Jaime, a mother who lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia
USA Facts is an organization that compiles statistics about dozens of areas of American life: employment, the pandemic, climate change, and more. For educators, a visit to the USA Facts page of statistics on American education is a real eye-opener, full of surprises and facts that provide a newly informed perspective. Read more
“What this means is that the American Dream for many low-income students has been deferred, perhaps permanently. Young people not born to well-off families will not surpass their parents in income and home ownership, they will not surge into promising careers, and they will not trust the American system to do right by them.”
– Source: “New Data: College Enrollment for Low-Income High School Grads Plunged by 29% During the Pandemic” by Richard Whitmire, the 73million.org blog, December 10, 2020 Read more
When you ask a group of college administrators to summarize the effects that the pandemic has had on their institutions, most of them are likely to use adjectives like, negative, threatening, horrible, terrible, and even catastrophic.
There’s a reason for those answers. Thanks to the pandemic, many colleges have seen enrollments fall, spent too much of the funds they had available to offer students for financial aid, lost their valuable foreign students, had to put building and expansion plans on hold, and experienced a host of other problems. Read more
Are you, like thousands of other college students, waiting to get the word that classes are about to start again on campus?
That will be an exciting day. But even though you are eager to get to campus, we would like to ask you . . .