| | In my previous email I mistakenly referenced that families had used 2018 taxes to fill out FAFSA this year. I meant 2019 FAFSA. For those who caught my error - Thanks!
ICYMI: You can watch our Facebook Live on how to appeal financial aid and merit scholarships HERE.
Here are some important tips we shared last night: - Wait till you have offers from your student's top choice schools before considering whether to appeal or not.
- Don't feel pressure to have your student accept any offer just because colleges are sending emails about housing deposits or other types of deposits. ONLY make a deposit if it is refundable or if you're willing to forfeit the money. Students have until May 1st to accept a college offer.
- Families with patience will see the best results. January is just the start of the "appeal season". The closer colleges get to May 1st, the more willing they are to offer more money to students in the hopes of getting the student to commit. In addition, as other students accept offers at different schools, financial aid and merit money frees up to use with students who have yet to decide.
- Two important words to know are "special circumstances" and "professional judgement". These words alert financial aid officers that your financial situation has changed since your 2019 taxes (which you used for FAFSA) or there are other financial issues that aren't accurately reflected on the FAFSA and CSS Profile (i.e. health expenses, lost job, reduction in business revenue, etc.). Professional judgement allows financial aid officers to change your EFC based on the circumstances you present to them.
There's so much more we shared. Make yourself comfortable - get a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, or a box of cookies, along with a pen and paper to take notes and watch our recording. |
| | | | | | | Give a Little, Get A Lot
For the past two years we've worked together as a community to crowdsource and share our student's acceptances, need-based aid, and merit scholarship offers.
This year, more than ever, it's important to see how colleges are awarding financial aid and merit scholarships, and how test scores (or no test scores) are impacting these outcomes.
Our updated free tool, COMPARE COLLEGE OFFERS (CCO) is live! If your student has received offers from colleges, please use the tool to compare your offers and see what other students at the same colleges received.
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| | | | | Getting into college is the first step, now how to pay?
College Ave Student Loans believes finding scholarships is always the first place to start.
Enter their monthly scholarship sweepstakes where they choose one lucky winner each month to win $1,000.
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| | | My goal is to provide affordable services, insightful information and a support system so your family can make more informed decisions about college.
Feel free to respond to this email with any questions you have. |
| | Debbie Schwartz Founder, Road2College I'm a parent, like many of you, navigating college admissions and paying for college. With an expertise in personal finance, analysis, and marketing, I'm working to give families the information and tools to make smarter financial college decisions. |
| | Road2College may receive affiliate compensation on items purchased through our links.
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