Questions to Ask the Financial Aid Office
What percent of my need does the college meet?
Some colleges will meet 100% of your need, some will meet less of your need. Again, your NEED is the amount that the FAFSA or CSS PROFILE form has determined that you will be expected to pay (EFC) subtracted from the total Cost of Attendance. (COA)
What is your Cost of Attendance (COA) for the current year?
If your child is a junior, colleges won't have the numbers for her freshman college year until May or June of her senior high school year, so you may have to estimate based on this year's numbers. There are six components to a college student's complete budget:
Many budgets you will see include only Direct Costs including Tuition, Fees and Room and Board. However, the Department of Education requires that colleges fully inform you as to all of the above costs, so find out specifically what those amounts are.
What kind of Merit Based Aid do you offer?
What is the average amount of Merit Based Aid that students are offered? How many students receive Merit Based Aid? What are the qualifications based on? Are they based on grades or scores only?
How do you determine financial aid after the first year?
Some colleges will provide strong financial aid the first year and then reduce the aid. You should ask up front how they determine aid, and the average loans after the first year.
What is the average loan amount at graduation for students who have taken out loans?
This is crucial information that will give you a sense of what your child's debt load will look like after college.
Does the college use Need Blind or Need Aware Admissions and what does that mean for admissions decisions?
Some colleges will not look at financial need at all during the application process, and some might consider it slightly (or more). You should ask this question, or research it online to determine how you may tweak your aid requests, if you have that flexibility.
How does the College consider outside Scholarships?
Is outside scholarship money subtracted from loans or from merit aid? There is no benefit to an outside scholarship if the college reduces this amount from the merit aid they would offer.
What percentage of your college's aid is grant versus loans and work study?
Grants are money that does not need to be paid back. Loans will need to be repaid, and work study is work that is on campus. Obviously, the greater the amount of grants, the better!
What is the college's endowment per student?
Often there is a correlation between endowment and student aid. Some wealthy colleges will give more aid to students, making expensive colleges less expensive in terms of final cost, than some state schools.
What percentage of students graduate from this college within 4 years?
You can often find this information online. You will want to know how likely it will be that your son or daughter will need loans for any extended time on campus.
Does the College use the FAFSA form or CSS Profile in determining aid?
The CSS profile often asks for more in depth information, so your EFC may vary depending upon whether the federal vs. the institutional formula is used to determine need.
Deena Maerowitz, J.D.,M.S.W
Guiding Students Through Admissions phone: 646-206-7128
Undergradadmit LLC
email: Deena@undergradadmit.com
www.undergradadmit.com |
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
College Search : Questions to Ask the Financial Aid Office
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
FREE SEMINAR : College Admissions and Financial Aid 101
College Admissions and Financial Aid 101: What you need to know about the college admissions and financial aid process including:
Old Stone House, 336 3rd Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn
-How should you create a balanced college list?
-What really happens in the admissions office?
-The lowdown on the differences between merit and need based aid
-What sources can you find online to assess your eligiblity?
-How can your son or daughter's application strength influence influence grant award?
Presenters:
Deena Maerowitz, former Assoc. Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School, attorney and social worker with background in adolescent education issues and Professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association.
Maura Griffin, mom to a 16-year-old high school junior, is founder of Blue Spark Capital Advisors and a certified college planning specialist. She has her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and her MBA from Columbia.
Deena Maerowitz, J.D.,M.S.W
Guiding Students Through Admissions
phone: 646-206-7128
Undergradadmit LLC
email: Deena@undergradadmit.com
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Reach For The Starts Aspiring Filmmakers Contest
Reach For The Stars Film Contest
- Prize Details
- The top five finalists and their families will receive an all expense paid trip to NYC to walk the red carpet and premier their film at the 50th Anniversary New York Film Festival
- Contest Instructions
- The contest is open to all aspiring filmmakers, ages 13-17 in the US.
- Videos must be three minutes or less and emotionally compelling ready to go viral to millions around the world through the NY Film Festival.
- Entries need to be submitted by October 5th with the finalists announced on October 7th.
- Five finalists and their parents will receive an all expense paid trip to NYC for the Red Carpet Awards Ceremony at Lincoln Center on Saturday, October 13th at 4:00 PM EDT.
- Get your smartphone ready and film your own award-winning video. Just make sure it’s buzzworthy.
- If you experience any problems entering the contest from your mobile phone please go towww.OnBuzz.com on the web to enter and upload your video.
- Prize Eligibility
- Only persons residing in United States who are between 13 and 17 years of age can enter.
- Contest Starts
- September 25, 2012 @ 12:01 am (CDT)
- Contest Ends
- October 06, 2012 @ 11:59 pm (CDT)
- Need more Details?
- Read the Official Rules
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