College Costs, College Funding | My College Planning Team

How to Get Help Filling Out Your CSS Profile

Applying to college is exciting but it’s also up there among some of the most stressful things you’ll ever do. Part of the reason for that is the confusing process of applying for financial aid. If you’re like almost three-quarters of applicants recently surveyed by Citizens Bank, applying for financial aid is even more stressful than applying to colleges! So if you’re mystified about the aid process, you’re not alone. That same survey also revealed that over half of applicants…

Freshman Year for Free!

November 14, 2017
MCPTtinak
College Costs

The name itself sounds appealing to anyone looking to cut the cost of college—the “Freshman Year for Free” program. Launched in August 2017 by Modern States Educational Alliance, the program provides more than 40 free online courses taught by top professors from top schools. Once students complete a course, they take an AP or CLEP exam giving them the opportunity to earn traditional academic credits at more than 2,900 major colleges and universities. We asked Steve Klinsky, founder and CEO of Modern States…

Freshman Year of College for Free?

College for Free? As any family can attest, it takes a lot of time, effort, and attention to detail in order to successfully navigate the college admissions and student loan applications processes. So it’s easy to overlook valuable programs and resources that can really help families meet their overall college costs by actually making freshman year of college free! Learn and Earn While most families know about Advanced Placement or AP courses and exams, there’s another often forgotten avenue to…

Can Parent Plus Loan Forgiveness Rescue Some Families from a Lifetime of Debt?

Unbeknownst to many who are struggling to pay for college, the current loopholes in the Parent Plus Loan rules allow some families to receive full forgiveness on a boat load of college debt. It’s not a viable strategy for everyone, it’s not a recommendation by any means, and there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding it, but there is a way to banish the bills from your Parent Plus Loan for good. But should you? Parent Plus Loans…

College Accepted! Now Compare Your Choices

Congratulations! You’ve gotten your first (few) college acceptance letters. There are likely more to come. You should feel great about your college accepts. (And, frankly, you should get over any rejections that you may have received—really! There are happy lessons to be learned from your rejections, truly! Watch for my blog on that topic). Right now, it is all about how to compare your choices. Now, the ball is back in your court so you still have work to do!…

Government Proposals for Higher Education

For better or for worse, higher education is a deeply political issue. The rules and regulations can vary substantially depending on who’s in office. One side wants to increase federal aid, while the other wants to do away with it altogether and leave it to private institutions. It can be difficult to keep up to date with it all, but it’s important to make sure that you do so. The government may not be as forthcoming with information that could…

The Peace Corps Can Help Reduce College Costs

Who wouldn't love a chance to work a job that pays off student loans? The Peace Corps offers federal loan forgiveness, plus a whole world of other benefits. Graduating with a mountain of debt has become a tradition in our country. Thanks in part to easy access to low-interest college loans over the past 25 years, we've become a nation of debtors. But for anyone who took out loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, there's hope…

Grandma’s Help Paying for College Could Cost You!

It’s only natural for family members who are fortunate enough to do so to want to help to alleviate the financial burden of paying for college. Conventional wisdom dictates that every little bit helps. However, when it comes to paying for college and applying for financial aid, conventional wisdom does not always win the day. How Help Paying for College Could Actually Hurt I’m sure it feels contradictory to hear that having more money could actually be a detriment…

How Work Study Works

Financial aid comes in several forms and some are more helpful than others. These various aid types are separated into two categories: gift aid and self-help aid. As you can probably imagine, gift aid is the kind you want – it is essentially free money. On the other hand, self-help aid is more than likely what you will receive the most of. Self-help aid is the kind you are expected to work for one way or another. Student loans are perhaps the most well…

Avoiding FAFSA Fraud

The financial aid process can be a daunting one. It’s often a good idea to seek out help when filing your FAFSA. How you file can be the difference between receiving or not receiving quite a bit of money. More financial aid is (ostensibly) allocated to those who express the most need. It is one of the few instances in which the worse your finances look, the better you are for it. The savvy filer will create the worst possible snapshot of their financial…

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How to Get Help Filling Out Your CSS Profile

Freshman Year for Free!

Freshman Year of College for Free?

Can Parent Plus Loan Forgiveness Rescue Some Families from a Lifetime of Debt?

College Accepted! Now Compare Your Choices

Government Proposals for Higher Education

The Peace Corps Can Help Reduce College Costs

Grandma’s Help Paying for College Could Cost You!

How Work Study Works

Avoiding FAFSA Fraud