New college commitment dates, new financial aid forms So far, most colleges that have extended the deadline have set it to either May 15 or June 1, though some have not released a new date yet. Tejada says he hopes many more colleges postpone their deadlines, too. While the new FAFSA is available now (albeit months behind … Read more
The “in batches” wording particularly stood out to Allie Arcese, spokesperson for the nonprofit National Association of Financial Aid Administrators, meaning the exact timeline colleges will receive all the information they need to send out financial aid offers remains murky. Even after colleges receive what they need from the department, Arcese says it takes several additional weeks … Read more
1. The timeline will be condensed. The FAFSA typically comes out at the beginning of October, but this year’s release was postponed to allow for more time to incorporate all the changes. The rest of the timeline, though, remains intact. Colleges will have to review applications and create financial aid offers in a shorter period, … Read more
The redesigned FAFSA includes new calculations that will help an estimated 610,000 additional students from low-income backgrounds qualify for a federal Pell Grant, according to numbers published by the U.S. Department of Education Wednesday. Nearly 1.5 million more students who were already eligible for a Pell Grant will now qualify for the maximum award under … Read more
But the truth is that there is no “best” college for every student — just schools that fit you well, not at all or somewhere in between. And despite what you hear about the acceptance rates at very prestigious universities, most colleges aren’t nearly as hard to get into. Casting a wide net — including … Read more
This free tool allows you to create a college list by attributes such as geography, size, admissions selectivity, cost of attendance or “financial needs met.” For example, you could filter by your state and 100% “meets need” to come up with a list of colleges generous with financial aid (or learn that your state doesn’t have any). … Read more
BigFuture by College Board is a great option for those looking for merit-based scholarships. College Board is a nonprofit organization that administers standardized tests and helps students plan for college. Its website also offers an extensive list of scholarships with details about eligibility criteria and deadlines. BigFuture users can save their scholarship searches, receive updates when … Read more
Why colleges create waitlists Because the pandemic has thrown “yield” predictions (the number of students who commit to enroll) up in the air, colleges feel jittery about the fall. That’s why even highly selective colleges are building longer waitlists this year, says Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admission at Georgia Institute of Technology. When a … Read more
It turns out, while experts say such dual enrollment courses do offer abundant benefits, saving money isn’t necessarily one I can count on. Here’s what I’ve learned. What is Dual Enrollment? I knew teens could potentially earn college credit by taking Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. But this idea of high school … Read more
Postponed Deadlines for Deciding Where to Enroll Historically, the college decision deadline has been May 1, but this spring with COVID-19 shuttering campuses, some colleges have extended theirs to June 1 or beyond to give families time to regroup. Some will maintain a May 1 deadline, but many could extend theirs in the coming weeks, … Read more