All Blog Posts Tagged 'financialaid' (11)

Congress and the President (and maybe even the Vice President!) missed going over the fiscal cliff in January, however, they really only delayed the disaster.  Sequestration was only suspended for two months.  If further agreements aren't made educational funding could see an automatic 8% reduction.  That could mean a $400 reduction in the Pell Grant for students, loss of Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants for students, and increases in student loan rates. 

 

Don't let…

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Many in higher education thought that 2009 would be a tough year for college admission. Administrators worried that students would have to leave their colleges and that freshman classes would not meet expectations. Well, most colleges and universities survived………….this year. And now we are even more worried about next year.



Rising seniors and their families may ask why, but more importantly they are probably ask; how is this going to affect us? The why is easy, the second answer, a… Continue

Education was a big winner in the recently passed stimulus bill. Uncle Sam, who’s lagged behind on keeping up with assisting families with the cost of college educations, stepped up in a big way. The question is; was it enough? One other question; will colleges and universities follow suit? Or, a third question; are colleges and universities able to?



The nuts and bolts of the… Continue

The realization that we are in tough times hit home this week when I opened my children's college saving's statements. We've lost 40% of our savings. Now, my daughter is 5 and my son is 18 months, so there is still time to regain some of the losses. However, it is a significant amount of money.



This got me thinking about families that have children closer to college age. What have they lost? How will it affect their college choices? How will this effect the economy long term? We talk… Continue

Happy New Year! To many January 1 means resolutions and Champaign. To financial aid professionals, it means FAFSAs can be filed. Well, maybe they don't think about that until January 2nd. But as of 12:01 am on January 1 high school seniors and returning college students can file a FAFSA.



I've been at Albright for eleven years and never have I been more concerned about the cost of higher education. I'm concerned for Albright, the students that are coming to Albright, the students that… Continue

The euphoria of receiving letters of admission has begun. In a month where every day has brought news of world economic concerns, I feel it is important to bring the financial discussion to the table. Families must make responsible decisions when deciding what they can afford, what an acceptable borrowing amount is, and what their debt capacity is. Higher education is the best investment that you can make (especially in this market!). However, there are many options out there and at some point… Continue

This month, after ten long years, I will make my last student loan payment. I was fortunate not to have any loans from my undergraduate studies because of good planning by my family. Graduate school, on the other hand, was a different story. A graduate assistantship helped defray the costs; however, the need to have money to survive required me to take out Stafford Loans.



Like many students today, I was not crazy about taking on loans… Continue

Visited the state capitol on Thursday to lobby state legislatures for increased counselors in secondary schools and to attempt to make sure that Pennsylvania does not cut state grant funding!



Last year Pennsylvania students pursuing higher education in-state could receive up to $4,700 in assistance in the form of a grant from the state. Because of changes at PHEAA (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency) and the state budget, that amount could be cut by as much as $700 a… Continue

About 2700 students have been offered admission into the fall class. Approximately a third of those students have received their financial aid awards. Admission counselors at Albright call EVERY student that receives an award package to follow-up with the student, confirm its receipt, and to answer a family's questions. I am amazed by how few questions we get during these phones calls.



It has occurred to me that families may have no idea what to ask or they may be intimidated to ask… Continue

President Bush signed into law H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act on September 27, 2007. This Act is a great thing for higher education and those wishing to pursue it. Government aid for students wishing to attend colleges and universities has not kept up with inflation in recent years. This problem is magnified by the fact that the cost of higher education has outpaced inflation. This means that fewer students are getting the financial assistance they need to continue…

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I too often talk with families of high school juniors and seniors about scholarships and financial aid and by that time 90% of the decision have already been made. And sometimes these decisions are bad ones.

I wish college admission and financial aid counselors could talk with parents of preschoolers. I’m not sure if young parents are getting proper advice or maybe they are and are ignoring it. I am the parent of the three year-old and the cost of higher education is very intimidating…

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