Horrible USC Financial Aid Package

alamemom
Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:30:36 +0000

For those of you who would like to understand more about the financial aid process, I highly recommend the book **“Paying for College Without Going Broke” **from the Princeton Review series. Everything is clearly explained, and there are worksheets in back to estimate your contribution by both the Federal methodology (FAFSA) and Institutional methodology (CSS/Profile). It also gives tips on maximizing your aid that might be helpful for filling out your forms next year.

For those with younger siblings, there is great advice on choosing colleges likely to give your family aid. For a family with a lot of home equity ($150,000+) for example, FAFSA-only schools are often a better choice. Families who are able to protect significant assets through the “Simplified needs test” also will receive better aid from a FAFSA-only school.