Understanding the financial aid process is more than just knowing how to fill out forms and evaluate award letters. Klemmer Educational Consulting looks at the process from a comprehensive perspective and also provides guidance to broaden each student’s financial and academic options. With an MBA from Columbia University and 25 years as a senior executive in the financial services industry, I understand the various aspects of paying for college, including evaluating affordability. My finance background enables me to effectively assist families with the many facets of the financial aid process.
Finding the right college is no longer only about identifying schools that are the right fit academically and socially. Given current economic factors many families are more focused than ever on the cost of college and affordability.
SOME OF THE QUESTIONS YOU MAY BE ASKING ARE:
What type of financial aid is available?
How is eligibility determined?
Should we fill out the financial aid forms even if we know we won’t qualify?
Can my child get assistance even if we are not eligible for need-based aid?
If we borrow to pay for college how much debt is too much?
How can my son or daughter maximize the likelihood of receiving grant or scholarship money for college?
DID YOU KNOW:
Most colleges offer some form of merit aid; only a handful of the most highly selective schools offer no merit aid at all.
The cost of attending a private college may actually be less than attending your state’s public university. Colleges that offer merit aid discount the tuition for select students whom they seek to enroll.
All colleges and universities are required to include Net Price Calculators on their websites to help families obtain a ballpark estimate for the financial aid they might receive at each institution.
While you may not qualify for need-based aid, there are federally guaranteed loans available to all students regardless of need. However, to be eligible,students are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
Not all financial aid packages are created equally; families must evaluate and compare the sources of aid (grants, loans and work study) to know which college is offering the best deal and requiring the smallest actual family contribution.
Having a strategy for paying for college and applying to a broad financial spectrum of schools is a key component to success in the college admissions process. Klemmer Educational Consulting is committed to helping you develop a plan and assisting you along the way to ensure that you meet deadlines and make good financial as well as academic choices.