As early round admission decisions start to roll in, students across the country are receiving both good (accepted) and bad (denied) news. And along with these clear-cut outcomes, many students are receiving some ambiguous news: yes, you’ve been accepted, but no, we are not awarding you enough financial aid to actually allow you to attend. This type of result can actually be the worst of all for families, as it often puts parents in the heartbreaking position of having to say no to their child’s dream school. Is there, however, any other option?

You’ll often hear it said that millions in dollars in scholarship funding goes unclaimed every year, and while this statement is (at worst) out of date and (at best) intentionally misleading, it is true that there are thousands of private scholarships available from organizations outside of the colleges and the government (the two best sources of college financial aid) that you do not want to leave on the table.

The FAFSA form opened up to high school seniors and their parents on October 1^st, meaning the financial aid application season is well under way. With the cost of college being so far out of reach for most families, many students are counting on financial aid to make their college dreams a reality, but the process of applying—and maximizing aid resources—can be confusing. How, then, can you make sure you’re accessing all of the financial aid you may be entitled to?

In case you haven’t heard, financial aid application season is now upon us. Not quite sure when you should be applying for financial aid? Check out this installment of the brand new College Coach video series, We Can Explain, where we answer the question, “When Should You Apply for Financial Aid?”

Many families, particularly those that won’t qualify for need-based financial aid, are counting on scholarships to help pay for college. How then can a student maximize their scholarship funding?

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?

Recent college graduates must learn to navigate lots of new experiences—new freedoms, new responsibilities, and, yes, new bills. Graduates who borrowed student loans to help finance their undergraduate educations will soon be entering the world of student loan repayment—a domain that can be challenging to traverse, particularly on an entry-level salary. Borrowers wanting to get the lay of the repayment landscape should head on over to the Fortuna Admissions blog to learn about their loan repayment options from College Coach finance consultant, Shannon Vasconcelos.

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.

There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges. And for some students, this includes schools beyond the U.S., too! As such, we are highlighting an international college this week in our School Spotlight series.

School Spotlight: University of Oxford

Oxford, England

Breaking news for student loan borrowers: We now know what interest rates will be on federal student loans for the 2018/19 school year.