In today's economy, a college degree is more important-- and more expensive-- than ever before. Here is the definitive, one-stop guide to the college selection and payment process, covering everything from basic timelines and tuition costs to predicting your scholarship award, and taking ownership of student debt after graduation.

The Financial Aid Handbook is the only book families need to find the right college at the right price. This completely revised, up-to-date edition builds on the success of the original--the definitive, one-stop guide to the college selection and payment process, covering everything from basic timelines and tuition costs to predicting your scholarship award from colleges and taking ownership of student debt after graduation. Updated to reflect the most recent changes in federal processes and timelines and including new chapters for undocumented and homeless students, this revised edition is a must-have for high school students and their parents. The Financial Aid Handbook features straightforward language, engaging explanations, and hundreds of tips to maximize your financial aid--the scholarship funds that come from colleges themselves. No other book on the market teaches students and parents how to find real, four-year scholarships…and how to land them. It includes: The nine biggest myths about paying for college. A step-by-step guide to completing the FAFSA and PROFILE. The ultimate guide to federal, state, and private student loans. How to predict scholarship dollars with the Merit Aid Profile. How to negotiate with the Financial Aid office.

Every year, more than 20 million students and parents file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the gateway to federal, state and school financial aid. Families often worry about making costly mistakes, but this step-by-step guide provides expert advice and insights to: · Maximize eligibility for student aid · Avoid common errors · Complete the form quickly, easily and accurately Praise for Filing the FAFSA: I found Filing the FAFSA to be an up-to-the-minute, accessible and readable resource for those with a keen interest in the current federal application for student financial aid. –Nancy Coolidge, Office of the President, University of California Families need a guide that breaks down the application form into logical sections. Filing the FAFSA is an important tool in removing some of the mystery surrounding the financial aid process. –Verna Hazen, Assistant Vice President and Director, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, Rochester Institute of Technology With the plethora of information on the subject of completing college financial applications, it’s reassuring to find a guide that students, parents and even guidance counselors can look to for useful and accurate information. –Carlos Adrian, Associate Director, Financial Aid Compliance, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs, Syracuse University As a long-time financial aid professional, I am always looking for helpful tools to assist families in understanding the sometimes overwhelming process of applying for student financial aid for college. Filing the FAFSA is a tool that successfully combines the presentation of detailed information with easy to follow flow charts and summary boxes to guide families through the application process. It is filled with helpful hints and is a valuable resource for families navigating the complicated world of financial aid. –Diane Stemper, Executive Director, Office of Enrollment Services, Student Financial Aid, Ohio State University

In "You're the Director!" you'll discover guidance from more than a dozen experienced financial aid professionals on topics such as directing a financial aid office, long-term planning, change management, budgeting, finding new resources, working efficiently, assessment and evaluation, positioning yourself on campus, and more. This book is a must-have for new and aspiring financial aid directors, as well as for seasoned financial aid directors who are constantly seeking to improve their leadership skills.

A “bracing and well-argued” study of America’s college debt crisis—“necessary reading for anyone concerned about the fate of American higher education” (Kirkus). College is far too expensive for many people today, and the confusing mix of federal, state, institutional, and private financial aid leaves countless students without the resources they need to pay for it. In Paying the Price, education scholar Sara Goldrick-Rab reveals the devastating effect of these shortfalls. Goldrick-Rab examines a study of 3,000 students who used the support of federal aid and Pell Grants to enroll in public colleges and universities in Wisconsin in 2008. Half the students in the study left college without a degree, while less than 20 percent finished within five years. The cause of their problems, time and again, was lack of money. Unable to afford tuition, books, and living expenses, they worked too many hours at outside jobs, dropped classes, took time off to save money, and even went without adequate food or housing. In many heartbreaking cases, they simply left school—not with a degree, but with crippling debt. Goldrick-Rab combines that data with devastating stories of six individual students, whose struggles make clear the human and financial costs of our convoluted financial aid policies. In the final section of the book, Goldrick-Rab offers a range of possible solutions, from technical improvements to the financial aid application process, to a bold, public sector–focused “first degree free” program. "Honestly one of the most exciting books I've read, because [Goldrick-Rab has] solutions. It's a manual that I'd recommend to anyone out there, if you're a parent, if you're a teacher, if you're a student."—Trevor Noah, The Daily Show

Student aid in higher education has recently become a hot-button issue. Parents trying to pay for their children's education, college administrators competing for students, and even President Bill Clinton, whose recently proposed tax breaks for college would change sharply the federal government's financial commitment to higher education, have staked a claim in its resolution. In The Student Aid Game, Michael McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro explain how both colleges and governments are struggling to cope with a rapidly changing marketplace, and show how sound policies can help preserve the strengths and remedy some emerging weaknesses of American higher education. McPherson and Schapiro offer a detailed look at how undergraduate education is financed in the United States, highlighting differences across sectors and for students of differing family backgrounds. They review the implications of recent financing trends for access to and choice of undergraduate college and gauge the implications of these national trends for the future of college opportunity. The authors examine how student aid fits into college budgets, how aid and pricing decisions are shaped by government higher education policies, and how competition has radically reshaped the way colleges think about the strategic role of student aid. Of particular interest is the issue of merit aid. McPherson and Schapiro consider the attractions and pitfalls of merit aid from the viewpoint of students, institutions, and society. The Student Aid Game concludes with an examination of policy options for both government and individual institutions. McPherson and Schapiro argue that the federal government needs to keep its attention focused on providing access to college for needy students, while colleges themselves need to constrain their search for strategic advantage by sticking to aid and admission policies they are willing to articulate and defend publicly.

Every parent wants the best for their child. That’s why they send them to college! But most parents struggle to pay for school and end up turning to student loans. That’s why the majority of graduates walk away with $35,000 in student loan debt and no clue what that debt will really cost them.1 Student loan debt doesn’t open doors for young adults—it closes them. They postpone getting married and starting a family. That debt even takes away their freedom to pursue their dreams. But there is a different way. Going to college without student loans is possible! In Debt-Free Degree, Anthony ONeal teaches parents how to get their child through school without debt, even if they haven’t saved for it. He also shows parents: *How to prepare their child for college *Which classes to take in high school *How and when to take the ACT and SAT *The right way to do college visits *How to choose a major A college education is supposed to prepare a graduate for their future, not rob them of their paycheck and freedom for decades. Debt-Free Degree shows parents how to pay cash for college and set their child up to succeed for life.

"The economics of American higher education are driven by one key factor--the availability of students willing to pay tuition--and many related factors that determine what schools they attend. By digging into the data, economist Nathan Grawe has created probability models for predicting college attendance. What he sees are alarming events on the horizon that every college and university needs to understand. Overall, he spots demographic patterns that are tilting the US population toward the Hispanic southwest. Moreover, since 2007, fertility rates have fallen by 12 percent. Higher education analysts recognize the destabilizing potential of these trends. However, existing work fails to adjust headcounts for college attendance probabilities and makes no systematic attempt to distinguish demand by institution type. This book analyzes demand forecasts by institution type and rank, disaggregating by demographic groups. Its findings often contradict the dominant narrative: while many schools face painful contractions, demand for elite schools is expected to grow by 15+ percent. Geographic and racial profiles will shift only slightly--and attendance by Asians, not Hispanics, will grow most. Grawe also use the model to consider possible changes in institutional recruitment strategies and government policies. These "what if" analyses show that even aggressive innovation is unlikely to overcome trends toward larger gaps across racial, family income, and parent education groups. Aimed at administrators and trustees with responsibility for decisions ranging from admissions to student support to tenure practices to facilities construction, this book offers data to inform decision-making--decisions that will determine institutional success in meeting demographic challenges"--

WHY THIS DIRECTORY IS NEEDED With a total population of more than 50 million, the disabled constitute America's largest (and fastest growing) "minority" group. Each year, billions of dollars in financial aid are set aside to assist persons with disabilities, along with members of their families. But, how can these individuals find out about the available funding? While numerous print and online listings have been prepared to identify and describe general financial aid opportunities (those open to all segments of society), none of those resources have covered more than a small portion of the programs designed primarily or exclusively at individuals with disabilities or their family members. That's why Gail A. Schlachter and R. David Weber biennially issue Financial Aid for Persons with Disabilities and Their Families (formerly published as Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families), which identifies billions of dollars set aside each year specifically for members of these groups to support study, research, creative activities, travel, career development, emergencies, and much more. WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS DIRECTORY Financial Aid for Persons with Disabilities and Their Families is the first and only publication to identify and provide comprehensive information on the nearly 1,400 programs established to provide funding to those with physical, sensory, or other disabilities, as well as to their family members. The listings in this book cover every major field of study, are sponsored by more than 600 different private and public agencies and organizations, and are open to all levels of applicants - from high school and college students to professionals, postdoctorates, and others. And, not only does Financial Aid for Persons with Disabilities and Their Families provide the most comprehensive coverage of available funding, it also displays the most informative program descriptions (on the average, more than twice the detail found in any other listing). In addition to this extensive and focused coverage, the 2018-2020 edition of the directory offers several other unique features. First, all funding described here is substantial; every program offers at least $1,000, and many award $10,000 or more. Even better, all of this is "free" money; not one dollar will ever need to be repaid (provided, of course, recipients meet the program requirements). Another plus: you can take the money awarded by these funding programs to any number of locations. Unlike other financial aid directories, which often list large numbers of scholarships available only to students enrolled at one specific school, all of the entries in this book are "portable." And, many of the programs listed here have never been covered in other financial aid directories. So, even if you have searched elsewhere, you will want to look here for new leads.