Category: Financial Aid


Low-income students can go to college for free, but most don’t attend

Posted on July 31st, 2015

"Providing information early could help overcome the lack of awareness of financial aid, limited understanding of the system, and the tendency to overestimate the price of college." -- Urban Institute Report, July 16, 2015

Not surprisingly, the rising cost of college is a big deterrent for students from low-income families to attend college, according to a new report from Urban Institute. Many low-income students don’t have the same access to information about college and financial aid programs from school counselors as higher-income students do, so a large portion of […]

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Student loan interest rates drop

Posted on May 28th, 2015

While college costs continue to rise, there’s some good news for students who will be enrolled in college this fall: lower student loan interest rates.

Interest rates on federal student loans for the 2015-16 school year will drop by more than one-third of a percentage point, according to Inside Higher Ed.

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Minorities and poor college students have the most student debt

Posted on May 22nd, 2015

"We have created a system in which more underrepresented students take on debt and drop out with debt, thereby saddling communities of color and those with modest means with substantial disadvantages as they enter the workforce." -- Mark Huelsman

Need-based financial aid, particularly in the form of Pell grants, is designed to make college more affordable for low-income students who may not otherwise be able to attend college. But a new study, as reported by the Washington Post, finds that the students who need financial aid the most are the ones who end up with the most […]

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College financial aid letters leave students, parents confused

Posted on May 12th, 2015

"Knowing exactly how much college is going to cost should be as simple as knowing how many calories there are in a slice of bread." -- Al Franken (D-Minnesota)

A recent article from the Hechinger Report addresses a problem many of our clients face: confusing financial aid award letters from colleges. Full of technical jargon, abbreviations and often misleading information, many letters leave families unsure of how much college will actually cost, which makes it difficult to compare letters from different schools. Financial aid ‘awards’ […]

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Catholic colleges increasingly out of reach for poor students

Posted on April 27th, 2015

"It’s disturbing that institutions give money in these very difficult times to students who don’t need it and don’t focus their resources on those who absolutely need it the most." -- Kati Haycock

One of the main tenants of Roman Catholicism is to help the poor, but a new study finds Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S. are doing a poor job. The New America Foundation found that five of the 10 most expensive private universities for low-income students, and 10 of the top 28, are Catholic. […]

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Students face heartbreak over financial aid packages

Posted on April 8th, 2015

"Colleges should have a moral responsibility to offer sane packages that don’t saddle students with unimaginable debt to start their adult lives." -- Chris Lehmann

By now, most high school seniors have heard back from the colleges to which they’ve applied. And many, unfortunately, are likely disappointed with the financial aid package they’ve received from the schools of their choice. In many cases, students find themselves heartbroken over not being able to attend their top-choice college because their family can’t […]

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The 10 Colleges With the Most Generous Financial Aid

Posted on March 23rd, 2015

As college costs have risen, financial aid at most colleges hasn’t kept up, leaving students to make up the difference with loans.

According to Peterson’s, the average college only provides enough scholarships or grants to meet 70% of what low- and moderate-income students need to pay their college bill.

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Many public colleges are leaving in-state students behind

Posted on March 17th, 2015

"By bringing in more and more wealthy nonresident students to make up for state budget cuts, these public universities are increasingly becoming bastions of privilege." -- Stephen Burd

As budget cuts have hit public colleges hard, many have raised tuition to make up the difference. But others, including the University of Alabama, University of Arkansas and UCLA, have employed a different strategy: enrolling more out-of-state students, who pay higher tuition than in-state students. Out-of-state enrollment on the rise at public colleges A recent […]

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10 FAFSA Facts Visualized [Infographic]

Posted on February 28th, 2015

It’s FAFSA season–and if you haven’t completed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, now’s the time to do it.

This new infographic from CampusLogic shows some interesting facts about the FAFSA that might surprise you.

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Yes, middle class students do get financial aid

Posted on February 3rd, 2015

It’s a common myth that financial aid is only for low-income students, and if you make too much money, you have no chance of receiving financial aid.

But according to a recent analysis by Slate, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, both public and private colleges award financial aid to a significant percentage of middle-class students.

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