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College List Building
UC Berkeley Common Data Set

Sifting through a college’s Common Data Set can take a lot of time. Instead, we’ve gathered the most important information from UC Berkeley’s most recent Common Data Set to provide you with the information you need at a quick glance. This guide contains key information from UC Berkeley Common Data Set 2025-2026. Berkeley Common Data…

September 13, 2026

High School Academics & Activities
July 19, 2020

A Summer Checklist for Rising High School Juniors and Seniors

I’m a mom of six kids with the four oldest currently in four different colleges with enough scholarships to cover their full tuition and more. The younger two are a rising 9th grader and a rising 6th grader. So, it comes as no surprise to me that I am always being asked for information. “What…
College Life
July 17, 2020

Changes Ahead in the World of Higher Ed: The Experts Weigh In

When Stanford announced the elimination of 11 out of their 36 varsity sports teams, it was clear there’d be more changes ahead for the 2020-2021 school year that go beyond the much talked about COVID-19 testing, online learning challenges, and whether campuses will reopen. To help keep you ahead of the curve as you make…
Survive
July 17, 2020

Can Insurance Help Families Manage the Financial Risks of College Life?

As nearly 3 million new college students and their families prepare to start college in the fall, now is an excellent time for parents and students to examine the financial risks of paying for college. The pandemic highlighted some of the difficulties of college life, as well as the refund policies of colleges and universities…
Applications
July 15, 2020

Northeastern Merit Scholarships

Finding individual college merit scholarship information can take a lot of time. Instead, we’ve gathered the statistics you need to know about Northeastern’s merit scholarships, at a quick glance. Before diving in, make sure to review The Ultimate Guide to Merit Scholarships. Northeastern’s Merit Scholarships Statistics Northeastern’s Merit Scholarships Students in the top 10-15% of…
Careers
July 15, 2020

Jobs You Can Get With a Liberal Arts Degree

A lot of digital ink is wasted on trying to help people figure out what major to pursue in college. Everyone wants to know if finance, computer science, or something else within STEM is the ticket to happiness, since they assume a liberal arts degree is not. It isn’t that easy to figure it out.…
Financial aid
July 15, 2020

Scholarships with September Deadlines

ABFSE Undergraduate Scholarship Amount: Up to $2,500 Apply By: September 1, 2026 Description: Scholarship is open to students who have completed at least one semester of study in a program for funeral service or mortuary science education accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education. Sponsor: American Board of Funeral Service Education College JumpStart…
College Financial Planning
July 14, 2020

Scholarships with August Deadlines

Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation Support Awards Amount: Up to $5,000 Apply by: August 1, 2026 Description: Scholarship is open to low-income women who are at least 17 years of age and mothers with minor children. Applicant must be pursuing a vocational degree/certificate, associate’s degree, first bachelor’s degree, or a professional/master’s/doctoral degree. Sponsor: Patsy Takemoto…
College Financial Planning
July 10, 2020

Stuck in the Middle: How to Manage Financial Aid “No Man’s Land”

Some folks find themselves in college’s “golden land” – they have plenty of financial assets to send their child to school. Other families are on the other extreme – with very low income and assets, they will receive a lot of need-based aid. But what if you’re in the middle? If you are a middle-class…
College Life
July 9, 2020

As Recession Deepens, Colleges Are Cutting Back on Career Services

Many colleges and universities are redoing their budgets after losing millions because of the coronavirus crisis, and with this rebalancing of the books comes another loss for students – leaner career services departments. About 38 percent of career centers at various institutions have implemented a hiring freeze, according to a recent poll of 493 colleges and…
College Financial Planning
July 8, 2020

If You Receive Need-Based Financial Aid, Here’s What You Need to Know About Paying for College

On a recent Saturday morning, I begin musing about families with need-based financial aid worries… This is my advice specifically for middle-to-lower income families trying to figure out how to afford college. Especially those with barely any extra money as it is right now and for whom adding in the cost of college bills seems…
College Financial Planning
July 7, 2020

Using a Home Equity Loan for College

“How will we pay for college?” It’s a question that’s on every parent’s mind as their child approaches the end of high school. There are federal student loans, Parent PLUS loans, and private loans available. But what about borrowing the value in your home? Using home equity to pay for college can help you pay…
College Financial Planning
July 6, 2020

Are Students Who Really Don’t Need the Money Meriting From Merit Scholarships?

We asked Stephen Burd, senior higher education writer and editor at New America, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank to answer questions raised by our Paying for College 101 Facebook Group regarding merit scholarships, also known as merit aid. The interview was done by phone and email and the answers have been edited lightly for clarity…
College Financial Planning
July 2, 2020

Answers to Your Top 5 Questions About Student Loans

When it comes to student loans, you’ve got important questions, and we’ve got timely answers. Here are the top five most frequently asked questions from families who are working through the loan application process, and the answers you need to keep moving forward. 1. When to apply for a student loan? By the time school…
Applications
June 30, 2020

The Scoop on SATs, ACTs, and Test-Optional

The SATs and ACTs have been around for longer than you might think, and began for reasons you may not have known. Now, more and more schools are becoming test-optional, as their value and fairness are re-assessed, and the ability to take them is challenged during the pandemic. It created some confusion about what it…
College Financial Planning
June 29, 2020

Have an Honest College Money Talk Before It’s Too Late

I’m here to “evangelize economic empowerment.” This post came to me as yet another parent called me yesterday in tears after her daughter had applied, labor intensively, to 27 colleges looking for the best merit aid with a 3.5 weighted GPA. After all of that work, Mom decided they could still “only afford” the state…
Applications
June 26, 2020

The Debate Over Test-Optional Colleges

Students have been sharing their SAT and ACT scores at lunch tables across America since the 1950s. Now, as the result of COVID-19, not only has learning shifted online, but lunches are eaten at the kitchen table, and far fewer colleges (at least for now) are requiring the testing at all. The debate over the…
SAT
June 24, 2020

What to Know About SAT Subject Tests for 2020

The effects of coronavirus are widespread and long-lasting, and many aspects of our daily lives will be impacted in ways we cannot even imagine. In addition to all those affected health-wise, there are many, like the students and parents who are deeply enmeshed in the college admissions process, whose plans have been turned upside-down. With…
College Financial Planning
June 24, 2020

12 Steps to Take if You Haven’t Saved Enough for College

This was our story… Spring break was over, and so was our son’s senior year…almost. We spent most of high school exploring careers; plotting a path; comparing college programs and navigating the admissions requirements. It’s been exciting and exhausting; fun and frantic at times. So, where are we in our college-bound process? Now what? Saving…