It's College Decision Season!

Many colleges and universities have resumed for spring semester courses and with that...it's college decision season! Admissions offices are sending decision letters and while some may still come through the snail mail, many are received electronically and may even direct you to your now active "student account."

If you are still waiting for a response from one or more schools, never fear! This article gives you some insight into timelines for regular decision, early decision and early action admissions.

While the delayed release of the revised FAFSA has also delayed some admissions, many are still actively engaging with applicants. While some schools have offered merit aid with acceptance letters, needs-based aid will be delayed pending the release of data from the Department of Education to school financial aid offices. Once received, students can expect to hear from schools on how much they may receive in Pell Grant, institutional aid and student loan options.

Students who applied for Early Action have the ability to commit to the school up until May 1st - in schools where housing is competitive (Purdue, I'm looking at you), early acceptance and payment is a wise decision. Students who applied Early Decision have entered into a binding agreement with the school once accepted. Some schools are offering a second round of Early Decision II applications which gives students the opportunity to apply again if their first choice was unsuccessful.

We are definitely in the decision season! Early Action and Early Decision letters have been sent from many schools including these in Indiana: IU-Bloomington, Purdue (main), IU-South Bend, Indiana State and ED for Notre Dame. Outside of Indiana, these schools have sent letters: Vanderbilt, University of Arizona, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of South Carolina...more to come!

If you are still waiting on a decision, I suggest some patience until February. Then, feel free to reach out to an admissions officer or if working with a college consultant, contact them. Many of us have an inside track to when decisions will be released!

Indiana STEM Summer Opportunities for 2024

Looking for summer STEM opportunities for your high school student in 2024? If you're in Indiana, consider the opportunities for grades 10-12 at Indiana University.

One of these is an 8-week experience to explore options in science, tech, engineering and math. Related careers may include future doctors, dentists, computer or data scientists, biomedical engineering, or even biostatistics. Learn more here. Financial assistance is available!

Also linking to a previous post from summer 2023 here. Summer camps are great opportunities for your undecided student to investigate future career options. Students who are set on a career, these camps provide a chance to live on campus and a taste of what it may be like to attend as a full-time student. An investment in a summer camp may save tuition money later on...although, in full disclosure, I am one of those people who changed their major five times my freshman year. The Air Force was not amused!

Welcome to the Circus - Calculating Tuition Costs for 2024-2025

Congratulations if you have received your acceptance letter for your dream school! Now, let the fun begin...calculating tuition costs for 2024-2025 will be a patience exercise.

The Department of Education finally released the updated FAFSA at the end of 2023. After significant delays and challenges, families are struggling to complete the form which serves as a significant factor for most schools when offering financial aid packages. The FAFSA collects family financial information and assigns a code based on the new Student Aid Index (replaces the Expected Family Contribution). Every college will be different in applying the new equation to determine needs-based aid...one thing is for certain, there is an error that may cause additional headaches.

It appears the Department of Education did not adequately account for the increase in inflation that hit everyone in 2023. Due to this oversight, some students may not qualify for enough financial aid to cover the costs of their education. Read more here. Perhaps in a foreshadowing of events related to an enrollment decline and the delayed FAFSA release, many top schools have frozen their tuition in the last year or more. Schools like Purdue, University of Illinois and others have maintained the same tuition costs in an effort to encourage applicants, acceptance and even completion rates.

It's still going to be a circus for many families trying to assess the best school for their hard earned money...and one that is also the best fit for incoming freshman. In recent weeks, I have heard from several families trying to sort out the offered aid, scholarship options and tuition based on everything that is currently in flux. There are a couple sources that may help. First, check out the Tuition Tracker website. While schools that have frozen tuition in the last few years may be a challenge for 2024-2025, a baseline cost related to family income is still possible - and VALUABLE. If you are comparing two or more schools, I recommend the website to give you a feel for what previous students have received in aid packages. Additionally the data can be dowloaded and statistical analysis software can be used for advanced investigations...we won't have robust data until next year for this class though!

Another resource is the College Inflations Calculator. Depending on your schools and if tuition has been frozen or not, you can predict what a four-year degree may cost and how your aid package helps or in some cases, may hurt if not renewable. This calculator may help with predicting your 2024-2025 costs...I said "may" because the SAI code is still an intervening variable that may skew your results. Again, welcome to the circus!

My recommendation to families investigating schools and their is a financial aid/need factor, be sure to get everything in writing from the financial aid office. It may take some extra time given the FAFSA delays to schools, but well worth the wait. After all, colleges and universities are dependent on student enrollment...it's in their best interest to provide accurate information or risk losing students.

Questions? Feel free to reach out and discuss. I am happy to provide resources to help you navigate these crazy times.