Financial Aid and Scholarships Archives - College Initiative https://collegeinitiative.net/financial-aid-and-scholarships/ Helping families to successfully navigate the college admissions process Fri, 02 Jan 2026 18:35:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://collegeinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-logoSQUARE-02-e1683223180849-32x32.png Financial Aid and Scholarships Archives - College Initiative https://collegeinitiative.net/financial-aid-and-scholarships/ 32 32 A Guide to the Different Types of College Student Loans. https://collegeinitiative.net/2023/05/22/different-types-of-college-student-loans/ Mon, 22 May 2023 19:41:26 +0000 https://collegeinitiative.net/?p=2996 It is crucial that families understand the different types of college student loans so that they are making an informed decision

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]]> Why the FAFSA is Important – Whether or Not You Need Financial Aid https://collegeinitiative.net/2022/08/23/fafsa-is-important/ Tue, 23 Aug 2022 20:11:23 +0000 https://collegeinitiative.net/?p=2664 Completing the FAFSA is important for more reasons than families may realize - from scholarships to changing financial circumstances.

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]]> How Do Colleges Use Preferential Financial Aid Packaging in Admissions? https://collegeinitiative.net/2021/11/03/preferential-financial-aid/ Wed, 03 Nov 2021 21:01:56 +0000 https://collegeinitiative.net/?p=2347 Colleges will use preferential financial aid packages as a tool to help them shape the incoming class. How can your student benefit?

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]]> The Simplified FAFSA Changes – The Good and The Bad https://collegeinitiative.net/2021/09/01/simplified-fafsa/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:01:31 +0000 https://collegeinitiative.net/?p=2330 The simplified FAFSA is significantly shorter, and the Expected Family Contribution number is now a thing of the past. 

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]]> What You Need to Know About a College Financial Aid Appeal Letter https://collegeinitiative.net/2020/11/20/financial-aid-appeal-letter/ Fri, 20 Nov 2020 20:28:06 +0000 https://collegeinitiative.net/?p=2205 Did your teen receive a disappointing financial aid award from their “dream school,” after you were celebrating their acceptance just days before? Not receiving the anticipated financial aid award feels like a blow – this could put that college out of reach financially, and no parent wants to disappoint their child, especially now. If this...

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]]> Why Should You Invest in a Qualified Tuition Program? https://collegeinitiative.net/2020/07/07/invest-in-a-qualified-tuition-program/ Tue, 07 Jul 2020 19:20:00 +0000 http://collegeinitiative.net/?p=1415 If you’re the parent of a potentially college-bound child, chances are that you have spent more than a few minutes thinking about the best way to finance that dream. While I have written previously about how to understand how much college really costs, I have never written specifically about the best way to save for...

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]]> What Does My EFC Number Mean, Really? https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/10/20/what-does-my-efc-number-mean-really/ https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/10/20/what-does-my-efc-number-mean-really/#comments Sun, 20 Oct 2019 21:20:55 +0000 https://collegeinitiative.net/?p=1751 When your oldest child begins high school, you may never have heard of the acronym, “EFC” before.  But by November of their senior year, most families of college-bound teens are not only familiar with the term, they likely know what their EFC number IS.  In general, most families feel that it’s too high.  But what...

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]]> https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/10/20/what-does-my-efc-number-mean-really/feed/ 13 Why Is the PSAT Important? https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/09/11/is-the-psat-important/ Wed, 11 Sep 2019 06:34:05 +0000 https://collegeinitiative.net/?p=1705 Recently, a friend shared with me that she knew someone who was planning to let their child skip taking the PSAT. It was the student’s junior year and the student already had a good score on the ACT. So, the parent saw no point. Apparently not all schools do a great job of answering the...

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]]> College Athletic Recruiting: What You Need to Know to Get Started https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/09/04/college-athletic-recruiting/ https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/09/04/college-athletic-recruiting/#comments Wed, 04 Sep 2019 18:00:20 +0000 https://collegeinitiative.net/?p=1677 College athletic recruiting is a complicated thing and there is absolutely no way to capture all of the nuances in one article. For one thing, it varies by sport!  But, I am going to give you an overview to get you started. And then, I’ll provide some further resources for you. Before getting too far,...

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]]> https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/09/04/college-athletic-recruiting/feed/ 2 What You Need to Know About Need-Aware Colleges https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/07/18/need-aware-colleges/ https://collegeinitiative.net/2019/07/18/need-aware-colleges/#comments Thu, 18 Jul 2019 20:45:56 +0000 http://collegeinitiative.net/?p=1553 I often write about factors that colleges consider as they make admissions decisions. There is one factor that gets very little attention – financial need. Did you know that there are “need-blind” colleges, as well as “need-aware” colleges? Unfortunately, this is an aspect of the college admissions process that students have very little control over....

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