For high school seniors who are finalizing their college lists—or juniors who are just starting to get serious about their college search—one feature you may be looking for in a college is generosity.  Specifically, how generous is a college with their need-based financial aid programs?

Paying for college for middle income families can be a challenge. When you make too much money to qualify for financial aid, but not enough to be able to write a check, you can feel stuck. Former Tufts University financial aid officer Jeanne Mahan understands your predicament and offers her insight on putting the financial puzzle pieces together.

It should go without saying that one of the best deals out there in the higher education market is your in-state public university.  Subsidized by taxpayer dollars, public universities provide state residents at all income levels access to a top quality education at a discounted price.  Therefore, your home state’s public universities can be a great place to start in the college search process.

If you paid college expenses in 2017, you may be entitled to a tax break. In the latest installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Finance Expert, former Southern New Hampshire University financial aid officer Alex Bickford breaks down the college tax breaks to ensure that parents and students claim all credits and deductions they are eligible for. Watch Alex’s video to learn, “What are the tax breaks for paying for college?”

When it comes to financing an MBA, don’t believe everything you hear. Myths abound, and you should consider the expertise and experience of your advisor before taking their education finance advice. In her latest contribution to the Fortuna Admissions blog, College Coach’s Shannon Vasconcelos takes on the top five rumors she’s encountered about financing business school.

As a recent Mercedes TV pitch entices, “the best or nothing.”

Like the price tag on a luxury car or a Tiffany diamond, the sticker price of a college is somehow linked to the perceived value of that education. And who doesn’t want the best for their children? But the best… or nothing? That perception is limiting, and some colleges are making moves to flip the script on this notion.

If you’re a prospective international student, you’ll need more than just a valid passport to study in the USA; you will also need to certify your finances. What exactly does it mean when a US university asks you for evidence of adequate financial support? As non-immigrant visa holders, international students are required by law to demonstrate proof of sufficient funding a.k.a. “certification of finances.” This documentation allows universities to get more information about the funds available to students wishing to study in the United States.

After a flurry of debate and revisions over the last couple of weeks, the tax reform bill, formerly known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” passed both houses of Congress today. As one of the most sweeping reforms of our tax code in decades, repercussions of the bill—both positive and negative—will likely be felt through all sectors of our economy for years to come. We thought readers of The Insider, however, may be particularly interested in the education provisions of the bill—how tax reform will affect students, parents, and the educational institutions that support them. We’ve broken down the key education provisions of the new tax law into categories, based upon the stakeholders most affected, though impacts will certainly be felt across stakeholder groups and through society at large.

Guest Post by Kathryn Flynn, Content Director, Savingforcollege.com 

For most families, college is one of the biggest expenses they will ever face. If prices continue to rise at the current pace, it will cost over $300,000 to attend a four-year private university in 18 years. One of the best ways to prepare is to start saving as early as possible in a 529 college savings plan. 529 plans are designed to help save for college by offering federal tax-free compounding, and in some cases, additional state tax breaks. 

If an international student contacts the financial aid office at a college or university in the U.S. and asks, “Is there financial aid available for international students?,” the answer will usually be a firm no. Financial aid officers are ambassadors of federal funds, and may not look beyond the money that is offered by the U.S. government to fully answer this question. A more complete answer requires students to broaden their scope. Finding money for college requires looking beyond the federal funds and even traditional first-stop college sources like the like financial aid office.