Financial Aid & Scholarships
Colleges are great at saying, “We have hundreds of scholarships available!” But that just provokes more questions: What is need-based financial aid? How do scholarships work?
Melissa Brock
Writer & Blogger
My name is Melissa and I’m a longtime admission professional, personal finance writer, editor and parent of two (very!) busy kiddos. I couldn’t make it all happen without my husband, Steve.
I hatched my site because I’ve heard so many head-scratching questions from parents. I’ve journeyed in the footsteps of hundreds of families, trekked to dozens of college fairs and even weighed the (billions?) of college savings options for my own two kiddos.
Best Private Student Loans of 2023
When your child applies for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), they may experience a gap between the cost of the school and the financial aid they actually receive. A private student loan, which may come from an online lender,...
What is Considered a Private Student Loan?
Private student loans are a type of loan that undergraduate and graduate students can use to pay for college. Unlike federal student loans, which come from the federal government (the Department of Education, to be specific), private student loans come from private...
The Ultimate Guide to Ways to Get College Paid For
This post may contain affiliate links. Have you ever gone to bed worrying about college money? Paralyzed, gripped by the all-consuming question: “How will I pay for this?” I can help you. What you might not realize is that the ways to get college paid for...
Do You Need to Fill Out the FAFSA? Make it the “FUN”SFA!
This post may contain affiliate links. Do you need to fill out the FAFSA? You don’t wanna do it. You’re dreading it. Almost as much as the Q4 proposal project at work. Or cleaning the garage. Or staining your broad-as-a-beach deck. You. Just. Don’t. Want....
Why is FAFSA Important?
This post may contain affiliate links. Oooh, friends, the FAFSA opens October 1. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), used to calculate something called the expected family contribution (EFC), measures a family's financial strength and eligibility for...