Resources for Economically Disadvantaged/Underresourced Students
If you come from a family with limited economic means, there are opportunities to save money as you navigate the college application and enrolling process. Here are some items to consider:
Testing fee waivers
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SAT - https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/fees/fee-waivers
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ACT - https://mysuccess.act.org/resource/fee-waiver-program/
Free test preparation resources
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SAT - Khan academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
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SAT - test-guide.com - https://www.test-guide.com/free-sat-practice-tests.html
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ACT - ACT Academy - https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/act-academy.html
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Schools with need-blind admissions that meet full need
There are over 4,000 postsecondary institutions in the U.S., but only around 100 offer need-blind admissions where students who require financial assistance are not placed at a disadvantage for admission. Only a subset of those schools that offer need-blind admissions meet full need (and some that meet full need do not have need-blind admissions). Here is an initial list of schools with need-blind admissions that meet full need, which is subject to change:
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Alice Lloyd College, Pippa Passes, KY
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Amherst College, Amherst, MA
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Barclay College, Haviland, KS
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Berea College, Berea, KY
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Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
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Brown University, Providence, RI
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University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
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Columbia University, NY, NY
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Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA
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Deep Springs College, Deep Springs, CA
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Davidson College, Davidson, NC
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Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
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University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
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Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
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College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO
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University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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Pomona College, Claremont, CA
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Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
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St. Louis Christian College, Florissant, MO
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Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
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Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
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Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
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University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
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Webb Institute, Glen Cove, NY
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Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, Media, PA
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Yale University, New Haven, CT
"No Loan" Colleges
Frequently need-based aid begins with student loans. Money Magazine has published an article about colleges that do not require loans as the basis for need-based financial aid. Please read the fine print as some of the colleges still expect a small contribution from the student. Here is the article: Colleges That Don't Use Student Loans in Financial Aid Offers | Money.
Highflying Students
These are resources for economically disadvantaged students with particularly strong academic backgrounds.
Questbridge - Approximately four dozen rigorous and selective colleges and universities provide full scholarships through this program. I recently worked with an applicant who received a full scholarship to Stanford University through this program. The program requires applicants to write a large number of essays during a short period of time. https://www.questbridge.org/
Matchlighters - Matchlighters Scholars Program (collegeessayguy.com)
Posse Foundation - www.Possefoundation.org
Gates Millenium Scholarships - Scholarships for minority high school seniors planning to attend college. Gates Millennium Scholarship - Access Scholarships
Jack Kent Cooke Scholarships - Our Scholarships - Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (jkcf.org)
Other resources:
Third Way: Providing Low-Income Students the Best Bang for Their Educational Buck – Third Way
Reach Higher Initiative / Better Make Room - https://www.bettermakeroom.org/our-story/
College Point - https://www.collegepoint.info/
Contact me for a free initial consultation.