Parents, there are really only 4 ways to pay for college. There are no big secrets when it comes to paying for college. It really comes down to how much of it will come out of your pockets and your student’s pockets. For most families, paying for college requires a Read more…
Merit scholarships make college more affordable, especially for those families who will not qualify for need-based aid. If you don’t know yet if you qualify for need-based financial aid, read Will We Qualify for Need-Based Financial Aid? If you are familiar with my Upside Down College Search process, you will know Read more…
Will we qualify for need-based financial aid for college? – A question on the minds of most parents with college-bound high school students. The answer is going to depend on many things, with the biggest being parental income and number of kids in college at the same time. Let’s go Read more…
Have you heard of free tuition colleges and work colleges? Both are potential ways to save money on funding your kid’s college education. Some work colleges do offer free tuition, but not all. First, let’s address the term “free tuition”. You really never get “something for nothing” and this is Read more…
Who gets full ride scholarships? Most parents want to know this as wouldn’t we all love not to have to pay for college? In answering this question, the key word is “Top“. Before we go any further in exploring this though, we need to address “need based” scholarships as they Read more…
Community colleges and guaranteed transfer programs could be your student’s best deal on an affordable college education. Community colleges aren’t a good fit for every student, but can provide a very affordable first step to a 4-year degree. In addition, there are many 2-year degree programs that prepare students to Read more…
Public colleges can offer great deals compared to private colleges. When you are a college search family “caught in the middle” who won’t qualify for need-based aid, but don’t have enough to pay full price at an expensive school for four years, take a look at the public college options, Read more…
How do you find merit scholarships? It depends on what type of merit scholarship you are looking for! In my prior post, Merit Scholarships – Types and Sources, I broke down 3 sources for merit scholarships – Private Sources, States, and the College Themselves. Let’s look at how to find Read more…
Merit scholarships can be one of the best ways to make college affordable, especially if your family will not qualify for need-based aid. It is important to know the different types and sources of merit scholarships available. Just to be clear, a merit scholarship is “free” money offered based on Read more…
One of the best ways to reduce the cost of college is to get college credit before college. This can be done while your student is still in high school or during summers. This past weekend, my middle daughter, who just finished her second year of college, showed me her Read more…