How We Rate Colleges, and What the Stars Do Not Mean
Every rating on this site covers one measure against comparable colleges. There is no overall score, and there is a reason for that.
2 min read
Guides
Plain-English explanations of how college cost, aid and applications actually work. Everything here is checkable against the data on this site.
Choosing a college Paying for college What the FAFSA Decides, and When to File It
One free form decides federal grants and loans, most state aid, and the money colleges hand out themselves. Here is what it asks, who has to be on it, and the mistakes that cost families the most.
5 min readPaying for college In-State and Out-of-State: What the Difference Actually Costs
Public colleges charge outsiders roughly twice what they charge residents. Here is what that is worth in money, and the exceptions that make it worth checking rather than assuming.
2 min readChoosing a college Early Action, Early Decision, and What Each One Commits You To
One of these is a contract. The other is just an earlier date. The difference decides whether you get to compare financial aid offers at all.
3 min readChoosing a college Reach, Target and Likely Schools: Building a Balanced List
How to build an application list that leaves you with real choices, and why admission rates say less about your chances than people assume.
2 min readScholarships How to Find Scholarships Worth Your Time
Most scholarship searching is wasted effort spent in the wrong places. A smaller, closer search usually pays better than a national one.
3 min readScholarships How to Spot a Scholarship Scam
Four signs that a scholarship is not real, and why you should never pay to apply for one.
2 min readPaying for college How to Read a Financial Aid Offer
Aid offers are not standardised, and several of them list money you must repay next to money you do not. Here is how to work out what a college actually costs you.
3 min readChoosing a college Should You Start at a Community College?
It is the cheapest route to a bachelor's degree that exists, and the one most likely to go wrong for reasons nobody warns you about.
3 min readChoosing a college What Earnings by Major Can and Cannot Tell You
Two different earnings figures appear on this site, from two different agencies, measuring two different things. Here is what each one is good for.
3 min readPaying for college Why a Loan Is Not Financial Aid
Aid letters list loans next to grants under one total. They are not the same thing, and the difference is the most costly misunderstanding in college finance.
2 min readChoosing a college What a Graduation Rate Measures, and Who It Leaves Out
The graduation rate on this site counts one specific group of students and ignores the rest. Knowing which group changes how you should read it.
3 min read
