Money
Budgeting for the costs nobody lists
June 23, 2026 · 2 min read
Tuition and housing are the visible costs. The rest adds up faster than families plan for.
Read more →Money
More from the archive
- Money
Loans: what to take and what to refuse
Not all borrowing is equal, and the order matters.
September 16, 2025 · 2 min read
- Money
529 plans and scholarships
Winning a scholarship changes what you can do with college savings, penalty-free.
June 24, 2025 · 2 min read
- Money
Comparing four-year cost, not first-year cost
A large first-year award can hide a much more expensive degree.
April 15, 2025 · 2 min read
- Money
Work-study, explained
It's on your aid letter, but it isn't money until you do something.
March 18, 2025 · 2 min read
- Money
Filing the FAFSA in a calmer year
After two turbulent cycles, the basics still decide most of your outcome.
January 7, 2025 · 2 min read
- Money
What 'meets full need' actually means
About sixty schools claim it. The definition of need is doing a lot of work in that phrase.
November 26, 2024 · 2 min read
- Money
Understanding the Student Aid Index
The SAI replaced the EFC and behaves differently, including going negative.
October 1, 2024 · 2 min read
- Money
The 2025-26 FAFSA timeline, and why it matters
After last year's delays, the next cycle's schedule is worth watching closely.
August 20, 2024 · 2 min read
- Money
Summer jobs, savings, and how they affect aid
Student income counts differently than parent income. Here's the actual math.
June 11, 2024 · 2 min read
- Money
Appealing a financial aid offer
Aid offers are more negotiable than families assume, especially when circumstances have changed.
April 16, 2024 · 2 min read
- Money
Comparing aid offers that arrived late
A compressed timeline doesn't change the comparison method, but it does raise the stakes on doing it right.
April 2, 2024 · 2 min read
- Money
Why your aid offer hasn't arrived yet
Schools can't build packages until they receive FAFSA data, and that data was delayed for months.
February 20, 2024 · 2 min read