In our new FAQ series, Gregg Cohen Founder/CEO of CampusBound and ApplyRightCollege gives you three ways to reduce the cost of college.

Today, we are asking Greg a frequently asked question about the college admissions process. Today’s question is, what are the two or three best ways to reduce the cost of college?

Find schools that give scholarships

The cost of college for many families is a big problem. There are many different avenues to pursue. The first one is finding schools that are more likely to give you need-based aid or merit scholarships or just have a lower cost to begin with. There are financial strategies to move things around, but we’re seeing more colleges being aggressive with merit scholarships. So you can make a big difference by searching for schools that are more likely to be good fits for you academically and socially but more likely to give you need-based or merit scholarships.

Don’t be afraid to ask for more money

Don’t be afraid to ask for more money, which means appealing the award, especially if you have some special circumstances. Towards the end of the process, schools oftentimes give another two to five seven thousand dollars to try to fill up their class.

How you pay for college

Student loans are a big business. There are a lot of different rates, there are different terms, and it can add up. So whether it’s the student government loans at the Stafford Loans or third-party lenders that have better terms, shop around for those rates because you could save yourself a lot of money over the long term if you shop for the loans and the colleges wisely.

What was your biggest takeaway from this episode of FAQ series about three ways to reduce the cost of college? Do you have any questions for Gregg Cohen and Alexis Avila?

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