College Articles

Financial Aid

These articles are helpful, but if they leave you with questions, check with the College Planning Center of Rhode Island, which is free and excellent. Its website is www.risla.com/college-planning-center. For FAFSA help, make an appointment for October or November in August or September so that you don't get shut out!

Useful starter articles about college financial aid with links:

Don't Assume Your College Is Financially Out Of Reach 25

Fastweb's financial aid basics with lots of links 23

Ron Lieber: 4 Links to Financial Aid Data You Need 23

Jeffrey Selingo: How and why to seek merit aid 24

Free GradBetter Service beginning in 2024-5 to compare your financial aid award and get advice about a potential appeal: https://www.gradbetter.com/awards

Hope Scholarship in RI and a deal for Massachusetts residents:

Rhode Island has been in leader in free tuition with free tuition at CCRI if you go directly from high school and keep up good grades and, alternately, free tuition for years 3 and 4 at Rhode Island College if you didn't get the free tuition at CCRI.

Massachusetts is now offering The Bridgewater Commitment: Free Tuition for Massachusetts Families Earning $125,000 or Less at Bridgewater State University

New England Tuition Break:

This is a program that provides instate tuition at state colleges in other New England states that offer programs not offered at RI colleges if the student is majoring in that program. Recently, it has been expanding at many schools so that there doesn't have to be a program not offered in your home state school

UConn no longer requires a major not at your state school for New England Tuitiion Break 24

Link to list of New England Tuition Break Eligible State Colleges with links:

2022 List of tuition break eligible NE colleges with links

Link to overall information about the program:

https://nebhe.org/tuitionbreak/

State Financial Aid Offices (very helpful)

Massachusetts: https://www.mass.edu/osfa/home/home.asp

Rhode Island College Planning Center: https://www.risla.com/en-us/college-planning-center

Johnson & Wales University Announces The JWU Pledge

A Free Tuition Initiative for Qualifying Undergraduate Students

Johnson & Wales University will offer free tuition for qualifying undergraduate students entering in the fall of 2025. This new initiative, named The JWU Pledge, covers up to 100% of tuition for eligible students and families with an annual household income of up to $80,000 and at least 60% of tuition for those with a household income below $200,000.

“At Johnson & Wales, we are creating pathways to make higher education more affordable, accessible, and attainable for students of all means and backgrounds,” said Chancellor Mim Runey, LP.D. “This new initiative, combined with our recently launched three-year degree programs, demonstrates the university’s deep commitment to our educational mission of expanding lifelong access to higher education.”

The announcement comes just two months after the launch of the university's Three-Year Career-Focused Bachelor's Degree programs, an innovative approach to undergraduate learning that allows students in selected programs to earn their degree in just three years.

RI FAFSA Help Sites:

https://www.prepare-ri.org/fafsa

https://www.onlineu.org/resources/what-is-fafsa-guide

Link to Common App. Site For Families that includes financial aid information:

- https://www.commonapp.org/family

Jobs That Pay For College or Provide Scholarships

Jobs That Pay For College or Provide Scholarships 23

Comparing Financial Aid Packages

This is a College Board tool to compare up to 4 packages:

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-awards/compare-aid-calculator?ep_mid=11441678&ep_rid=285397854

Scholarships: Go to the Scholarships page for specifics: https://sites.google.com/s/1oL7byKBTmKvFt4GASZIQkcGl6Vh_N_gH/p/1ARe8aIxzokZk2BxMIJSyLh2p2AxtpRdy/edit

Ron Lieber on a money strategy to use at some colleges 25

The articles below cover a range of financial aid and college cost issues. If they don't answer your question, the best place to turn, as noted at the top of the page, is the College Planning Center of Rhode Island.

How to Avoid making financial aid errors 23

Key Loan Advice:

Explanation of the basics about college loans 24

FAFSA Advice:

The government announced in August 2024 that for the seconed year in a row, the FAFSA rollout will be delayed in fall 2024. It will not open on October 1 as it usually does, but they say it will open on December 1, 2024 for current seniors and those already in college. They said this last year, and there were further delays.

Here's a Guide to the FAFSA from Stand Out College Prep: https://www.standoutcollegeprep.com/elementor-5833/

A step by step guide to the FAFSA 25 (from USNEWS)

A step by step guide to the FAFSA 25

Questions Parents Should Ask about Aid 24

FAFSA Update Aug 24

Questions Parents Should Ask about Aid 24

Why you should fill out the FAFSA ASAP (really by Dec. 1) 23

Should You Bother To Fill Out the FAFSA? 21

Why You Should Fill Out the FAFSA? 21

What you need to complete the FAFSA 21

A student's guide to the FAFSA 21

What To do after/along with the FAFSA for financial aid 21

How To check your FAFSA status after it's in 21

Important Financial Aid Changes for 2024 that might help to know about now 21

FAFSA Checklist 21

What's Changing in the New FAFSA 21

4 Ways the FAFSA can help you pay for college 21

10 FAFSA errors to avoid 21

New FAFSA Changes: Winners and Losers 21

Helpful FAFSA Efficiency Tips 21

Kiplinger's on FAFSA change for 2021

FAFSA change for 2021

CSS Profile: In addition to the FAFSA, some colleges (mostly the more academically competitive ones) require the CSS Profile, which is run by the College Board. It requires more information, especially from divorced parents about the non-custodial parent. Most of our students don't need to do this for their colleges, but most years, at least a couple do. It's important to check whether this is required.

For a full list of schools that require it, go to https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx

A step by step guide to the CSS Profile 25 (from USNEWS)

Advice About Filling out the CSS Profile 24

Advice About Filling out the CSS Profile 21

GETTING HELP WITH THE FAFSA AND CSS PROFILE18.DOCX

Financial Aid Appeal Advice:

Strategies to bridge gap between aid and costs 24

Making sense of your financial aid letter 23

Inside Financial Aid Letters 23

Tips for Interpreting Financial Aid offers 23

11 Tips to Appeal for more financial aid 23

Interpreting and appealing college aid awards 23