Tag: financial aid counseling


Colleges giving record discounts on tuition

Posted on August 27th, 2014

"Even as they raise their advertised prices faster than the rate of inflation, many colleges and universities are giving discounts so steep that they’re falling behind." -- Jon Marcus

While college costs have increased rapidly over the past few decades, financial aid, grants and scholarships have increased significantly as well. In fact, at some colleges, these tuition “discounts” have been so large that colleges are struggling financially, Jon Marcus reported in a recent Hechinger Report article. College costs are up, but so is financial aid According […]

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Purdue president calls on colleges to reduce costs

Posted on August 25th, 2014

"Instead of asking our students' families to adjust their budgets to our spending, let's try to adjust our spending to their budgets for a while." -- Mitch Daniels

College costs have gotten out of control, but rarely do you hear a college administrator take responsibility for rising costs. Instead, they announce tuition increases with promises that they’ve “increased financial aid.” But Mitch Daniels, President of Purdue University, isn’t like most college administrators. In a recent appearance on CNBC, he blamed colleges themselves for […]

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College costs have risen less than you think

Posted on August 11th, 2014

"Every measure shows costs increasing to some degree, but it’s clear that government’s measure follows the path of published prices. In reality, college tuition has risen less than half as much in the last two decades as the official data suggest." -- David Leonhardt

The general consensus among the public is that the cost of college has risen dramatically over the past few decades. We’ve reported how much the rise in college tuition has outpaced gas, cars and any other household item that the government tracks. According to the government, college tuition and fees have risen a shocking 107 percent since […]

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These 5 states have the best colleges for your money

Posted on August 6th, 2014

We recently wrote about a new set of college rankings based on which colleges provide the best value for your money.

A few states dominated the list and were home to several colleges that provide students with a great bang for their tuition buck. Watch the video to find out what they were.

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Should you use your full 529 fund to pay for college?

Posted on August 2nd, 2014

With the cost of college rising, many parents are turning to 529 plans to pay for their future children’s college tuition.

These plans allow families to put away money tax-free for future use. Like a 401K or IRA, funds are invested in mutual funds or similar investments.

When your child finally reaches college age, many parents wonder if they should put their entire 529 savings toward their student’s first year of tuition or save some for future years in order to allow the fund to grow even more.

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The calls for free college are getting louder

Posted on July 22nd, 2014

"The people who are struggling to pay for college today go way beyond poor people. There’s a need for a universal program." -- Sara Goldrick-Rab

With college costs reaching record levels and still rising, the idea of free college might sound like a pipe dream. Some colleges offer free tuition to the very top students, but these scholarships are extremely competitive. And even with financial aid, most students usually end up paying large amounts for college and taking out student loans. […]

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Did need-blind admission create the college debt crisis?

Posted on July 7th, 2014

"In sum, 'need-blind' admissions, summoning a mental image of the coal miner or bus driver’s daughter striding her way across the college green, quite often leaves that daughter 60 or 70 thousand dollars in debt." -- John McWhorter

Many of the nation’s top universities, such as Harvard, Stanford and Duke, are lauded for having need-blind admissions policies, meaning they don’t take into account a student’s ability to pay for college when making admissions decisions. These schools say the policy a way to make sure the best students are accepted because of their merit, […]

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New student loan interest rates for 2014-15

Posted on July 1st, 2014

Before borrowing money to pay for college, it’s important to know what your loan’s interest rate will be to figure out how much you’ll pay over the life of the loan.

Unfortunately, students and parents will pay more this year than last to borrow for college. Federal student loans remain, however, one of the most affordable options when borrowing for college.

Read on to find out the new student loan interest rates for the 2014-15 academic year.

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How to avoid financial aid scams

Posted on June 6th, 2014

"You should never have to pay to apply for any scholarship or to submit any paperwork for scholarship. That’s a very important thing for everyone to know." -- Tess Clarke

Applying for scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid to help pay for college can be overwhelming for many students and families. And with the cost of college rising rapidly, there’s no shortage of students applying. The internet has made this a lot easier, but not all financial aid websites are created equal. Tess Clarke, a guidance […]

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If law schools can lower tuition, why not colleges?

Posted on April 22nd, 2014

"It’s abundantly clear that the rising costs of the past 20 years have collided with the economic realities. At the risk of indicting an entire industry, I think we’ve been kind of lazy in our thinking. We always just pass on the costs to students and their families." -- Donald Farish, President of Roger Williams University

College applications were down this year at many top colleges, including Harvard and Dartmouth. This has led some in higher education to worry whether we’ll start seeing fewer people completing college degrees. It’s even caused some colleges to be forced to close. Law schools cutting tuition to attract students Many law schools have seen similar declines […]

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