Inside Higher Ed reviews a new study that profiled a staggering 270,000 incoming freshman at 400 colleges. The article notes that first-year students are increasingly politically minded and more polarized in their political views. Financial aid for college was cited as a major concern by freshman. In fact, among those students admitted to their first choice college that ultimately chose not to attend, the top reason cited for enrolling elsewhere was their inability to pay tuition.

Financial Aid for College: Junior Year

1. If you think you will need financial assistance to attend college, you should turn your attention to aid matters no later than midway through junior year.

By junior year, you should have a list of colleges, any one of which you would be happy to attend. Each of the colleges on your list should have characteristics that appear to match your personal preferences and academic abilities. If you have not yet drafted a preliminary college list, you should research colleges and do so before tackling financial aid matters.

2. Once you have organized a college list in accordance with your personal preferences and academic abilities, start collecting financial aid information.

Call or visit the website of each college on your list in order to obtain the school’s estimated total cost of attendance. This figure is commonly referred to as the Cost of Attendance, or COA. The COA includes tuition, room, (more…)