Assume you are buying a car. All other factors are equal. Do you pick the one that costs $15,000 or $30,000? Seems like a no-brainer–go with the cheaper one. Okay, assume all other factors are equal. Do you pick the red one or the blue one? Now it depends on what colors you happen to … Read more
Too many people think that your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is something that you worry about when you apply for financial aid–if they have heard the term at all. And if you’re a family with high school students thinking about college, it’s definitely a term you should become familiar with immediately. Why? Because what you don’t know … Read more
If you have kids old enough for you to be thinking about the college admissions process and how you’ll pay for it, you also need to be thinking about how you’re going to compare colleges. Because the fact is that you’re going to be comparing lots of colleges, the sooner the better. You’re going to … Read more
(Updated for 2022) I just finished updating the list of 50-50 colleges with the latest IPEDS data release and, as usual, thought I would share some statistically non-significant (as far as I know) observations. For those who don’t know what I mean by 50-50 colleges, these are colleges that accept at least 49% of students … Read more
(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.) On the second day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me: Two lists worth taking the time to review before creating your college list if you want to … Read more
Most students will not submit Early Decision college applications for the same reason that most students will be accepted at their first-choice school. Students generally apply Early Decision to improve the admission chances at a limited number of extremely competitive colleges. Only 10% of all four-year colleges accept less than 40% of students. Since most … Read more
When students start creating their college list, smart families make sure they use the Net Price Calculator on all possibilities before adding them to the final list. Net Price Calculators (NPC) provide families with the estimated price they will pay after deducting for gift aid. This is called the average net price. Essentially, NPCs provide … Read more
With 81 public and private higher education institutions with 500 or more full-time undergraduates in Texas, how do you decide which are the best colleges in Texas? Well, a lot of people will just look at US News Best College Rankings and consider it problem solved. In that case, the list of best colleges in … Read more
What’s a Starter Custom College List? Well, basically it’s not your final list. A starter college list is recognition that coming up with a list of colleges to apply to is a process, a journey even. The colleges that students ultimately apply to are those that have been vetted for academic, social, and financial fit. … Read more
