After You Apply - Understanding and Comparing Awards
There are a number of resources to help families understand their financial aid awards. The problem is that those award letters are not standardized and can differ from school to school. Here are some tools to help you decipher what is offered and how to compare the financial aid packages. Please remember that your greatest resource is the college's Financial Aid Office. Parents should never hesitate to call and get questions answered. Dealing with the Financial Aid Office is the one time it is acceptable for the parents to call. Any other communication should be between the student and the school.
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Reading award letters: Financial Aid Award Letter and How to Read It | Edvisors
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Comparing offers from the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau: Your financial path to graduation | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov)
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Variety of topics to parse financial aid: Financial Aid Awards – BigFuture | College Board
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Recorded webinars to explain it all: Comparing Financial Aid Award Letters – BigFuture (collegeboard.org)