Financial Aid
With tuition costs increasing every year, it has never been more challenging to pay for college.
In direct response to a growing demand for expert guidance on how families can best access financial aid, we offer experienced, professional consulting in this area.
Many middle and upper income families believe that they are not eligible for any form of financial aid. That is simply not true.
In order to dispel this and other common, but inaccurate beliefs, we begin our financial consulting services with a thorough explanation of the financial aid system, so that our clients can appreciate what may be available to them.
This includes a discussion of need-based aid (grants, loans, work study) as well as merit aid (academic, athletic, leadership, etc.). We also review the common financial aid forms, including the FAFSA and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE.
As affordability is often an important factor for the client in the college selection process, we identify schools with the lowest estimated “net cost,” the annual out-of-pocket cost the family will pay for the student’s education.
We also identify colleges that award high percentages of financial aid as grants and scholarships, which reduces the amount of debt the student will incur, as well as schools that are most likely to provide the student with merit-based aid.
Once a family receives its financial aid awards from each of the schools to which the student has been accepted, we help our clients to decide between competing offers. Should the family’s financial situation have changed since filing the financial aid forms, or if special circumstances exist, we can also assist our clients with appealing their financial aid award.
For further information as to how we can help you to afford the high costs of a college education, please contact: financialaid@CollegeBoundCoaching.com.