Special days in August:

August 1 - The Common App officially opens.

 August 3 - National Watermelon Day, celebrating the popular summer fruit.

 August 8 - International Cat Day, a day to celebrate our feline pets.

 August 12 - National Middle Child Day, recognizing middle siblings in families.

 August 12 - International Youth Day, focusing on youth issues and voices globally.

 August 26 - Women's Equality Day, celebrating women's rights and the 19th Amendment.

Our Favorite Scholarship Search Engines

It's hard to believe, but some scholarships have deadlines beginning this month.

Too many students treat the scholarship search almost as an afterthought. It's understandable, considering all the work that goes into applying to college, not to mention that seniors still have to go to class, do homework, participate in extracurricular activities, and have some free time to spend with friends.

I bring up the subject of scholarships now, because each Spring parents of high school seniors ask, "What about scholarships?"

Perhaps because there are so many scholarships out there, the time spent finding them can be a daunting thought and a source of a little anxiety. However, it doesn't have to be that way if they know where to look!

Let's start with what should be the most obvious place to begin: their high school guidance counselor or the administration office.

The reason we begin looking there is that is where you will find local scholarships. Local scholarships are less competitive than the national ones, and most high schools keep a record of recent scholarships that previous students have been awarded, and for how much.

If you request the previous graduation commencement program, it should include the scholarships students received for the current year! Private high schools are especially keen on garnering this information. It's one of the ways they market themselves.

Other than finding scholarships to apply to, what really influences results are eight things:

1. The student's profile
2. Opportunity fit
3. Recommendations
4. Timing
5. Strategic college selection
6. Essays
7. Stronger positioning
8. Thoughtful applications

 It's important to know what qualities a scholarship committee values. Grades do matter, but they rarely tell the full story.

Scholarship applications can include a student's leadership roles, personal initiative, contributions to the community, character (not to be overlooked), resilience, academic direction, future goals, and, of course, the application must align with the scholarship's mission.

Here is a list of our favorite national scholarship sites:

• Big Future
• Scholarships.com
• Fastweb
• Appily
• Niche
• Peterson's
• Unigo
• Sallie
• Scholarship Owl

The Financial Aid Timeline for High School Juniors

A student's junior high school year is in most cases their most important one. This is the most recent year that colleges will have access to all the classes completed and their final grades.

It's also the time to organize college information and application materials. Knowing in advance what's ahead is key.

Fall of junior year is typically when the PSAT is taken. Don't take this test for granted! It can qualify students for scholarships.

Junior year gives students more time to properly research scholarships-- especially local ones.

It's also time to learn about merit scholarships. Many colleges and universities offer  merit scholarships to the students they want to attract. The amounts vary quite a bit, and knowing in advance what qualifies a student for the maximum merit award helps them know how they fared when the award letter arrives.

Parents should familiarize themselves with financial aid applications. These include the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) and the CSS/Profile.

The Financial Aid Timeline for High School Sophomores

Using a Student Aid Index (SAI) Calculator can provide a good idea of what a parent's MINIMUM contribution to college will be.

Learn about Net Price Calculators. All colleges have one, but don't make assumptions. Most are not going to give you the exact amount of money you will have to pay out of pocket. Some will come closer than others. What they can show you is the impact having more than one student in college at the same time, and if a college will count the equity you have in your family home.

NOTE: When it comes to maximizing financial aid eligibility, planning at the beginning of a student's sophomore year of high school and implementing strategies before December 31st of sophomore year best guarantees success. The reason is the two-year look-back period known as the Prior-Prior Year (PPY). The PPY is the tax year from two years before the current academic or calendar year, used primarily on the FAFSA to report income. For example, a form filed for the 2027-2028 school year will require 2025 tax data.

Is College Still Worth It?

Even as Americans express growing skepticism about the value of a college degree, a recent study found "incontrovertible" data that college grads far outearn those with only a high school education.

In 2024, the median pay for college graduates stands at about 37% higher than the median pay for those without a bachelor's degree, according to the analysis from compensation firm PayScale. In dollar terms, people with a college education earn about $78,400 annually in median pay, compared with $49,400 for people with only a high school diploma.

At Michigan's fifteen public universities, students who received federal aid have median annual salaries of between $49,757 and $85,800 five years after graduating, depending on the school, according to a Bridge analysis of U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

Median federal student loan debt, meanwhile, ranges between $19,500 and $27,000 for public university students, suggesting higher earnings could potentially offset those debts within a handful of years.

While sticker prices for college tuition may still be rising, the net price (the actual cost after financial aid has been subtracted) has recently been decreasing for both public and private institutions when adjusted for inflation. In fact, the net price of college has fallen by 11% at private institutions and 13% at public institutions over the past five years.

When evaluating a college, there are some factors that don't receive as much consideration as they could. Things like career services, professional outcomes, who connecting with alumni, etc. Also, I think it's very important to know how many students remain on campus on weekends.

More Colleges Offering Free Tuition for Families With Incomes Below $200,000 Per Year

It's no secret that the cost of a college education has skyrocketed over the last few decades. Rising costs have even discouraged many students from attending college at all, contributing to declines in enrollment.

Students looking for free college have an increasing number of options as more colleges, universities, nursing, and medical schools step up to take finances out of the question for college attendance.

In fact, there are several universities that offer free tuition to families with under $200k in Adjusted Gross Income and what are called "typical assets". Typical assets are characterized as checking and savings accounts, a single primary home or residential property, a few stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and 529 college savings plans. Even

though retirement funds are not assessed by the FAFSA, the CSS/Profile does ask for the values of employer-sponsored accounts such as like 401(k)s and individual IRAs.

Here is a list of colleges and universities that offer free tuition for families earning under $200,000 per year.

1. Yale University: under $200,000
2. Emory University: under $200,000
3. University of Chicago: under $250,000
4. Harvard University: under $200,000 per year
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: under $200,000 per year
6. Princeton University: under $250,000 per year
7. The University of Pennsylvania: under $200,000 per year
8. Swarthmore College: under $200,000 per year