​With the projected decline in high school seniors attending college in the fall of 2021, it opens a host of opportunities for these students to attend colleges that may have been a reach for them in the past because of the enrollment decline. The goal is to find that sweet spot - the college that has good academics and liberal free scholarship money to boot. The question becomes how to best research those colleges that meet the student admission criteria (things like big vs. small etc). The second issue is to do the research to know which of those colleges will give you the most free scholars ..read more

Plan your Coursework Carefully! ​What do American’s value in their education? Based on a survey of more than $340,000 individuals who graduated from college since 2000, graduates are clear that relevant courses, not wages, have the strongest link to how they value their education experience. This chart shows the results of this survey graph- making coursework align with jobs. ​College Planning Services using over 30 years experience in helping their parents align the finances to meet the student’s career path by saving them $25,000 per year. Please contact us for more information ..read more

“My child will get some type of merit scholarship.”  Spoiler: According to a survey by the Wall Street Journal, 92 percent of financial aid counselors say parents overestimate the availability of scholarship money. The average is about $15K per year. “My child will borrow the amount needed through low interest government loans.”  Spoiler: The federal government actually caps the amount undergraduates can borrow over four years to $27,000. The current interest rate for an unsubsidized Direct Loan is expected to be 2.75% + loan fee of about 1.06%. A college student should no ..read more

​College students are striking, demanding that college reduce their tuition by 50% for this semester because they are required to do online classes thus “not allowing them what the colleges advertised as an interactive cultural classroom experience” In addition, they are requesting refunds of fees, room deposits, parking permits etc. Lastly, they are requesting colleges freeze the current tuition rate and all college related costs and expenses. ​College students have brought lawsuits against a number of colleges including Harvard University, Cornell, Columbia,  U. of Miami, OH and Northea ..read more

More SAT test dates have been cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic. The College Board has cancelled the June SAT. They announced that they will offer the SAT at least one weekend a month starting in August. If the pandemic forces high schools to close this fall, students will be able to take a digital version at home. The ACT announced that it too, would offer a test at home version  starting late fall or early winter. There are currently 1100 schools that are test optional and more colleges are making an exception to standardized testing for next year's applicants. For a list of test o ..read more

The dilemma for many parents of college bound students is the question of what is more important: their retirement or their kids' college education. According to a national survey conducted by Sallie Mae, families in the Northeast pay 70% more for their kids' college education than the rest of the U.S., so it seems natural that middle to upper-middle class families may expect to work 5 to 7 years longer than planned in order to pay off college loans. Remember, you borrow for college because you can't borrow for retirement. ​For some families, pre-funding their retirement using a private ..read more

A 2018-2019 survey of 405 non-profit colleges showed the average institutional grant for first time freshman is $20,000. According to the survey conducted by the National Association of College and University Bursar Offices 90% of freshman received some kind of grant money ranging from $1000-$50,000. Those discounts on average cover 60% of the tuition costs (not including room, board, books or fees.  The big take-away from the survey is that everyone should apply for financial aid. However, for families to maximize their free scholarship money they need to know what assets they do not ha ..read more

Now that the application cycle has moved  up three months it requires families to start their college admissions process three months earlier. Sending a child to college is an adult research project. Because of the cost it is important not to do anything at the last minute. In order to make your fall college admission process less strenuous, here are five tips to get you started on the process this summer: ​ Develop and college rating scale based on your needs and interests Determine what college essays are needed and start writing Take a professionally administered career assessment te ..read more

I meet with the parents of future college students all the time and most of them share similar anxieties. As one of my clients confessed, “I feared I had saved too little, too late, and college was unaffordable.I need a college advisor.” It’s a common concern. And it’s an understandable one, too.  Afterall, being able to afford a child’s education may mean the difference between sending your child off to college or not.  But there are lots of mistakes that parents can avoid that will help increase their ability to pay for college.  For example, did you know that 90 percent of t ..read more