U.S. college aid
The forms and estimates that decide need-based aid.
- FAFSA
- CSS Profile
- College aid forms
- Net price estimates
FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIPS
Build a college plan your family can afford.
Where you apply is also a financial decision. We help you and your family understand need-based aid, merit scholarships, deadlines, and the real cost of each option, from the start rather than at the end.
Arrange your free introduction45 minutes with your proposed mentor. A personalized plan by email afterward.
Explore how we can help
Baker Library, Dartmouth College · Gavin Huang / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Resized and cropped.
HOW NET PRICE WORKS
The published price is where the conversation starts.
Many families rule out a college because of its listed cost. What matters is your net price: the cost after grants and scholarships. For some families, a college with a higher published price turns out to cost less.
- Published cost of attendance$90,000
Tuition, housing, food, books, and personal costs for one year.
- Need-based grant from the college− $60,000
Money you don’t repay, based on your family’s finances.
- Outside scholarship− $2,000
An award from an organization outside the college.
- Your family’s share for the year$28,000
Paid from savings, income, a student job, or loans.
These numbers are an illustration, not an estimate for any college. Each college’s net price calculator gives a personal estimate based on your family’s finances.
TYPES OF AID, EXPLAINED
Know what each part of an offer means.
Aid letters use many terms for similar things. These are the ones families most often ask about.
Need-based grants
Money from the college based on your family’s finances. You don’t repay it.
Merit scholarships
Awards for academic or other achievement, whatever your family’s finances. Not every college offers them.
Outside scholarships
Awards from foundations, companies, and community groups. A college may adjust your aid when you receive one, so ask how.
Work-study and student jobs
Money you earn during the year, usually through a job on campus.
Loans
Money you borrow and repay later, usually with interest. Compare offers with loans set apart from grants.
Cost of attendance
The college’s estimate of a full year: tuition, housing, food, books, travel, and personal costs.
WHAT WE CAN HELP WITH
Support for every part of paying for your education.
From your first college list to a graduate scholarship, we help your family understand the options and plan ahead.
Scholarships
Awards worth your time, and applications that stand out.
- Merit scholarship research
- Outside scholarship search
- Scholarship essays
- Deadline planning
International families
Policies and costs that change when you apply from abroad.
- Need-blind and need-aware policies
- Aid for international applicants
- Currency and travel costs
UK and Europe
Costs and funding for study outside the U.S.
- International tuition and living costs
- University scholarships
- Budgeting for a three- or four-year degree
Graduate and MBA funding
Funding that often follows its own calendar.
- Program scholarships
- Fellowships
- Funding deadlines tied to your round
Offers and next steps
Understanding what you have been offered and what to ask.
- Comparing aid letters
- Asking for a review
- Planning for later years
HOW WE WORK WITH YOUR FAMILY
Cost belongs in the plan from the first conversation.
You might be building a college list or already holding offers. We’ll help your family understand the numbers and make decisions you can live with.
YOUR FAMILY’S BUDGET
Start with a number your family can manage.
We help you talk through what your family can pay each year, including travel, living costs, and currency changes, before your list is final.
What we work on together
A realistic yearly budget that shapes your college list from the start.
YOUR COLLEGE LIST
Build a list with good fits and generous aid.
We look at each college’s aid policy, including how it treats your family’s situation, alongside academic fit, so your list includes places you could afford.
What we work on together
A balanced list where every college is a good fit and financially possible.
FORMS & DEADLINES
Give aid forms their own calendar.
The FAFSA, the CSS Profile, and each college’s own forms have separate deadlines and documents. We help you plan them alongside your applications.
What we work on together
One calendar for aid forms, documents, and scholarship deadlines.
COMPARING OFFERS
Compare offers line by line.
Aid letters use different formats. We help you separate grants from loans and work, check renewal conditions, and see what each year would really cost.
What we work on together
A clear side-by-side view of your offers before you decide.
TRY THIS WHEN OFFERS ARRIVE
Put every aid offer into the same five rows.
Aid letters use different words for similar things. Copy each offer into these rows, then compare what your family would pay each year.
| Row | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Total cost of attendance | Tuition, housing, food, books, travel, and personal costs for one year. |
| Grants and scholarships | Money you don’t repay. Note which parts renew each year. |
| Work-study and loans | Money you earn during the year or repay later. Keep these separate from grants. |
| Your family’s share | The total cost minus grants and scholarships, before any loans. |
| Conditions | Renewal rules, grade requirements, and when you need to reapply. |
A few financial-aid details are worth checking early.
Some colleges are need-blind for international students.
Harvard, Princeton, and Dartmouth decide admission without regard to financial need, including for international applicants, and give admitted international students the same need-based aid as U.S. students. Many other colleges consider need for international applicants, so check each policy.
The main aid forms open in the fall.
U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens can file the 2027–28 FAFSA now. It opened on September 23, 2026, and many state programs use it. Students can start the CSS Profile for fall 2027 from October 1, 2026, and it’s free for undergraduates living in the U.S. whose family’s adjusted gross income is up to $100,000.
Some colleges award aid only on need.
Harvard and Princeton offer no merit scholarships; their aid is based on financial need. At Harvard, the expected parent contribution is zero for families earning under $100,000 a year.
TWO STUDENTS, CAREFUL DECISIONS
The real cost helped each family choose with confidence.
These anonymized journeys show how comparing actual aid offers, not published prices, shaped two final choices.
FINAL CHOICE · UCHICAGOT.R. · ECONOMICS
T.R. compared real aid offers before choosing UChicago.
How we helped
We kept aid forms and scholarship applications separate from admissions tasks, so his family always knew what needed attention next. When offers arrived, they compared actual net prices and travel costs rather than the published price.
- His offers
- Harvard, Princeton, UChicago, and Penn
- His choice
- UChicago, after comparing net cost, the economics curriculum, and conversations with students
Harper Quadrangle, University of Chicago · Nicomachian / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped.
FINAL CHOICE · JOHNS HOPKINSC.M. · NEUROSCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
C.M. chose Johns Hopkins with a need-based aid package.
How we helped
We helped her explain a difficult semester with care while keeping family details private. When offers arrived, she weighed the academic pathways alongside a need-based financial-aid package.
- Her offers
- Johns Hopkins and UCLA
- Her choice
- Johns Hopkins, with need-based financial aid
Gilman Hall, Johns Hopkins University · Chris Rycroft / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Resized and cropped.
Our free university guides include cost and financial-aid details for each school. You don’t need to become a client to use them.
QUESTIONS FAMILIES ASK
A few practical answers.
If your question isn’t here, bring it to your free introduction.
Does applying for aid hurt my chances of admission?
At need-blind colleges, it doesn’t. At need-aware colleges, your financial need can be considered. We help you understand each college’s policy before you apply.
Can a college change its aid offer?
Sometimes. If your family’s circumstances change, or the college didn’t have full information, you can ask the financial aid office to review your offer. We help you prepare a clear, polite request.
Are merit scholarships worth pursuing?
They can be, at colleges that offer them. Some of the most selective colleges offer none, so we look for places where your profile and their awards match.
Do you help with graduate and MBA scholarships?
Yes. Graduate programs and business schools often tie funding to your application deadline or round, so we plan for it from the start.
Will you see our financial documents?
You keep your documents. We explain what each form asks for, and you enter your information directly on the official forms.
RELATED SUPPORT
Other help you might need along the way.
Cost is part of every admissions decision, so these services often go together.
PEOPLE ON YOUR SIDE
Your mentor is chosen for experience and care.
We carefully select mentors who listen, offer honest feedback, and help you feel comfortable asking questions. One lead mentor gets to know you and guides your work.
How we choose and match mentors
Our team has guided students of different ages and stages. Their careers span technology, finance, consulting, education, and government at leading companies and institutions.
START WITH A CONVERSATION
Let’s work out your next step, together.
Bring your questions to a free 45-minute introduction with your proposed mentor. We’ll listen, talk through your options, and send you a personalized plan by email. No scare tactics and no pressure to sign up: we’ll tell you honestly what we think, even if that means pointing you somewhere else.
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