Many parents approach me after their son or daughter has started their private or public school education and ask how to avoid financial aid awards that shrink every year. Assuming the decrease in aid was not do to financial reasons, here are some suggestions for parents and students to avoid the trap:
- After receiving your financial aid offer for the first year and before you commit to the college, ask them what you can expect from them in the following years
- Keep your grades up. If the student retains a high GPA, it will be less likely the school will play money games with your financial aid awards
- Like the GPA, get involved with school activities and be an asset to the college
- If the college is still playing the game, the student may want to consider one of the college’s rival schools. Many colleges don’t want to lose students to their competitors due to only issues to financial aid awards
- The family may want to consider retaining a trained and proven financial aid expert. This person will be able to negotiate with the college to better their award
If you are like most parents you are well-intentioned in attempting to maximize the financial aid for your family without help. College Aid Consulting Services has over 26 years of experience working with federal institutions, colleges, universities and others that decide how much money you will receive. If you are reading this we hope you take advantage of our complimentary consultation and contact us today.
