Page 11 - College Guide 2017 Digital Edition

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
FINANCIAL AID continued from page C9
are origination fees, what the interest rate is, and what the repayment options are,” says Rihl-Lewinsky. “We try to be very transparent in sharing that information up front with students, so they’re not
surprised when they graduate.” Ultimately, these are plan-
ning tools, and understanding
the scope of the financial-aid package won’t come until
much later in the process. “The student needs to be accepted for admission before the full
financial-aid package is calculated,” says Rihl-
Lewinsky.
Aid also varies from
school to school, so students and parents
need to factor that in. To accommo- date those variations, Sciaky recom- mends applying to six to 10 schools
to ensure plenty of options.
“Colleges need to satisfy three criteria: the academic needs of the child, the social needs of the child,
and the financial ability of the parent— assuming the parents are the ones paying,” Sciaky says.
AID VARIES
FROM SCHOOL
TO SCHOOL. TO ACCOMMODATE THE VARIATIONS, ONE EXPERT RECOMMENDS APPLYING TO SIX TO 10 SCHOOLS TO ENSURE PLENTY OF OPTIONS.
JANUARY 2017 I www.todaymedia.com I C11