What The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success Really Means

Last September a group of 80 colleges announced a new college application designed to improve access, affordability, and success. They actually call themselves the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success. But for some reason, the counselors who work with high school students, both private and school-based, don’t seem impressed with the new option. Maybe because … Read more

FAQ: My high school doesn’t offer AP classes, will it hurt me in admissions?

No. If your high school offers AP classes then taking AP classes demonstrates taking the most rigorous academic program available. If AP classes aren’t available, you can still take the most challenging academic program available, it just won’t include AP classes. AP courses help in  college admissions only when high schools actually offer them. Colleges … Read more

84 Best Bet Public Universities for Meeting Financial Need

(Based on some readers comments, I just want to clarify that the schools on this list at the end of the post are only “Best Bets” for residents of the state. Out-of-state students shouldn’t expect any financial assistance from these schools.) If there is a list of the top three things families entering the college … Read more

50-50 Highlights: 41 Best Financial Bets for Public Universities

I’ve created two lists of colleges to target for merit aid, one consisting of only 50-50 schools and a more general list taking into consideration test scores. Since all the colleges on the lists are private schools, I thought I would create a list best financial bets for 50-50 public universities. As I started looking … Read more

How to Find Merit Scholarships: Follow the Money, Part 2

(Part 1 showed how to identify colleges that are likely sources of merit money.) Now that you know who has the money, you need to target those schools more likely to be giving it away. I do this by looking at information on institutional grants. This is money the school is giving the student and … Read more

400 Plus Full Ride Scholarships

I’ve been spending some time talking about a Moneyball approach to college admissions. The idea is to get the best college education without sacrificing your financial future. And what better Moneyball solution for college than a full-ride scholarship? Want to know where to find such scholarships? Wendy Nelson at My Kid’s College Choice has created … Read more

What to Read to Understand the O’Bannon vs. NCAA Trial

Now I’m not saying you should know what the O’Bannon vs. NCAA trial is about or even care. If you have any interest in college basketball or football, it’s highly unlikely that you haven’t heard about the trial. But if this is all new to you and you start to wonder what all the fuss … Read more

Public Universities and Out-of-State Students

Part of the college experience is leaving home, meeting new people, discovering new places, and hopefully learning a little just from the experiencing something different. However, there are two major factors that determine how likely this is to happen. One, how far away students are willing to travel to college and two, if a student … Read more