October 18, 2021
Dear Upper School Families,
Financial Aid and cost of attendance are two topics that frequently come up in my college counseling meetings.
- Another tool commonly used is the CSS Profile. Some schools have a preferential deadline for completing these application.
Seniors should check the Financial Aid offices for each university they are applying to, as often each institution will have different requirements.
I'd also like to highlight some resources for finding scholarships and financially planning for college.
When looking at the cost of college, it is important to recognize the two amounts you will find.
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One is what we call the sticker price. This is the full amount: tuition plus room & board, plus fees.
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The net price is the amount that a student pays to attend an institution in a single academic year after subtracting scholarships and grants the student receives.
There is a resource available to help called a net price calculator on a college's website. Net price calculators can help prospective students get a better handle on what they will be expected to pay. Students enter information about their family’s financial situation to learn what similar students paid to attend the institution in the previous year.
These net price calculators are a great tool as they give you the best idea of what you'll pay for a particular college. It also helps make comparing colleges easier. It is always important to remember that these calculators create an estimate and the actual cost may end up being higher or lower than the estimate provided by the net price calculator.
Here are links to a few net price calculators:
Finding the right fit in a college for a student involves many different areas to consider: academic rigor, religious community, location, size, and affordability.
Below I have listed some additional resources for finding scholarships.
As always, I use the OakcrestConnect groups to post any scholarship opportunities that are sent to me directly.
All the best,
Randa Johnson
Director of College Counseling