Financial aid today at public universities is drying up because of public schools’ rising costs in a bad economy. Financial aid is also drying up at private schools as more of their students have higher financial needs.
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May 1 is the usual deadline for sending in your official acceptance to a college. You should have your aid packages in hand and be ready to choose a school soon. But, what is the best choice for the next four years?
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Thanks, Jonelle Marte, for your article on the February 13/14, 2010, in The Wall Street Journal Sunday.
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Debt is very common today for college students, maybe just too common. 66% of students are now borrowing for college at an average college debt of $24,000. That compares to 58% of students borrowing in 1999, but at an average $13,000 rate of debt.
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Budget cuts and large numbers of applicants are a formula that makes it very tough to get college acceptance.
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If you are applying for financial aid for the academic year 2010-11, you know the most important form you will fill out is the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA form (Find this form at www.fafasa.com). You have to fill out this form both to be eligible for loans and grants from the colleges you are applying to as well as for federal aid.
Most students concentrate on the process of applying for college. It is a lengthy and involved process, but there is one more thing you college-bound students should be thinking about—scholarships. Searching for scholarships that you are eligible for and that are available to you should actually start months before you apply to college, and applying for scholarships should begin at least by the fall of your senior year. The good news is it’s never too late to apply for scholarships.
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If you applied for Early Decision in November, December was when you heard whether or not you were accepted or deferred. For those of you who applied in the second round for Early Decision, you will hear this month. What does deferral mean and what can you do about it?
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You may have sent in your applications, even early, but you’re not done yet. Think about it. There are many potential slip ups between the sending of your application and acceptance. Some colleges require mid-semester grades (in January). You should make sure your high school has sent them. Teachers whom you have asked to write recommendations and send them into the colleges you are applying to may not have done so yet. Maybe you should check in with them again politely. Then there are transcripts and test scores. Did they arrive on time?
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You have all those admission and financial aid applications done. You have your acceptance letter and your financial aid package. Now you’re on campus, taking classes, and you’re all set. All you have to think about is your first semester exams before semester break. Guess what? Getting financial aid is a yearly process.
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