Paying for College, Part Two: Building an Affordable List

 by Katherine O'Brien, ThD Candidate, Certified College Planning Specialist

 

A college list, ideally, is a list of 6-10 colleges that have the academic major(s) and/or program(s) your teen is looking for, that will prepare him or her for the kind of work s/he is interested in and have determined is a good academic, social, and spiritual fit for him or her. Another key factor is financial fit. Here are guidelines to help you include colleges and universities that will be affordable, and keep those with too high a net cost off your list.

 

First, some definitions:

 

Net price: the price you will actually pay, based on your grades, scores, major, and financial resources.

 

Sticker price (also known as the COA or Cost of Attendance): the official price for a year of college, including tuition, fees, room, board, books, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses.

 

Public in state universities: Public colleges and universities located in the same state as the student. If the student’s parents are divorced and live in different states, s/he might be considered an in-state student in both states. Check with the states for their residency requirements as they differ from state to state.

 

Public colleges and universities receive funding from their state government. Therefore, they have TWO prices for tuition: for in-state students and for out-of-state students. The out of state tuition rate is typically MUCH, MUCH higher than in state tuition. Typically, in state public colleges have lower sticker prices (COAs) than private colleges. For out of state students, however, some private colleges will have lower prices while others have higher prices.

 

Because their in-state prices are already fairly low, public colleges don’t tend to offer as many, or as generous, scholarships. Residency is nearly always determined by where you life. Do a quick internet search to learn your state’s residency requirements. Residency will impact your tuition at public colleges and universities as well as eligibility for state aid programs. (Use the NASFAA website to check your state’s aid programs.)

 

 

Public out of state universities: Public colleges and universities  located in a state that the student does not live in.

 

Private colleges and universities: Colleges and universities not run by state governments.

 

Private colleges are FAR more likely to offer tuition discounts and scholarships. Some offer ALL students a scholarship. For students who are high academic achievers in their student body, generous scholarships tend to be available. Keep in mind, private colleges charge the same tuition, no matter where you live.

 

 

Two year/Community Colleges Typically these are public colleges. This can be a good place to study, especially if you will only need an associate’s degree or a certificate for your chosen profession. As a step into a four year college, the chances of spending two years at community college and finishing in two more at a four year are low. (Most take 3-4 years at the 4-year to finish their degree.) DO keep that in mind if this is a path to a four year degree you want to seriously consider.

 

International Universities Colleges and universities located in a different country from the student’s home country. Bachelor’s degrees in non-American universities typically take 3 years. Germany, Iceland, and Norway offer tuition free college. Tuition in Austria, France, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Malaysia is very low. If you speak Spanish or Portuguese, Argentina and Brazil offer very low tuition rates.

 

Vocational Schools These post-secondary schools train students in various vocations, from hair dressing to auto mechanics to chefs to dental assistants. The length of the program varies.

 

Service Academies These four year colleges are free for everyone who gets in, but extraordinarily selective and require military service of their graduates.

 

For Profit Colleges Most of these private colleges result in students with significant debt and poor outcomes. Many have extremely low graduation rates.. I can’t encourage families to consider them.

 

ONE WAY TO PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF AFFORDABLE COLLEGES

 

You can get a general idea of the kind of college best to focus on in this way:

(affluent here indicates ineligible for need based aid, or having an SAI above $30,000 (SAI is the amount you can afford, per the FAFSA form.)

 

Top students from non-affluent families typically find good financial affordability at:

1.        Private colleges, especially those with generous merit scholarships. Less selective colleges tend to give out more scholarships. You may also be able to get in state grants or scholarships for private colleges in your state of residence. Highly selective (accept <25%) often offer significant need based aid. Some meet full need without asking you to take any loans.

2.        Public in state universities

3.        Two year colleges

4.        Public out of state colleges when they are in the top 10% of the student body and win an elite scholarship or the college participates in an undergraduate exchange tuition reduction program with your state

5.        If your parent works at a college, or a college with an agreement with your parent’s college.

6.        If your parent is a veteran, there may be institutional scholarships and the Yellow Ribbon program available to match or supplement the GI Bill benefits.

 

Public out of state colleges and international colleges tend to be least affordable to these students.

 

Top students from affluent families

 

Scholarships and low sticker priced schools are your best financial fit.

 

1.        Private colleges are the most likely to reward your talents

2.        Public in state colleges are the most likely to be affordable. Look for honors colleges and programs.

3.        International colleges – because a bachelor’s degree only takes 3 years to complete.

4.        Two year college, if you aren’t seeking a four year degree

 

Not a top student AND not from a wealthy family? Here are your best financial fit college categories:

 

There are still some great options.

 

1.        Public in state universities

2.        Two year colleges

3.        Private colleges, maybe

4.        Public out of state colleges, if your state and the school’s state participate in an undergraduate exchange program that offers lower tuition rates.

 

Not a top student yet from a wealthy family – best financial fits:

 

1.        Public in state universities

2.        Two year colleges – having the opportunity to further mature as a person, clarify your life and college goals, and hone your study skills might be very helpful

3.        Private colleges

 

For a private college financial consultation, please schedule with Katherine by email: KOB@CelticCollegeConsultants.

What to Do After Your Applications are Submitted

by Katherine O'Brien, Certified College Planning Specialist 

Founder, Senior Private College Consultant, Celtic College Consultants

 

 1. Mark the Accomplishment! 

Keep a pdf of each application, for your records, and to document the accomplishment. It took a lot of time and effort to craft that application. Mark that. You also might want to look at it later, as you decide which college to attend. 

 2. Check your email! 

Colleges send announcements, links to their portal, messages about missing materials, invitations to apply and compete for top scholarships, to apply to their honors program or college, etc. Check DAILY. You never know when a significant, potentially life changing email will come in!  

3. Check your portals

Many colleges have a portal that they use to communicate and to take you through the next steps of choosing housing, getting your aid package, etc. Be sure to set up your portal right away and check it regularly. Keep track of your login information. This takes effort – there can be many new logins to keep track of!  

4. Take time to reconsider your top college priorities

What are the key opportunities you are looking for at college? How do the colleges you’ve applied for stack up, now that you’ve learned more about them through the application process? Are there additional colleges you want to apply to? There are colleges with later deadlines; it’s not too late to add a college! 

 5. Apply for Scholarships, 

both at your schools and private. Have you combed through their private database yet? Have you paid attention to scholarship emails your high school counselor has sent? What about at your church, bank, parent’s workplaces, clubs, etc.? Have you taken the time to explore using online search engines? Look at groups related to your ethnicity, career interests, personal traits, etc.  

6. Midyear Grade Reports 

Verify that your midyear grades have been sent to your schools, no matter whether you’ve applied early action or regular decision.  

7. Update admissions 

with any important additional accomplishments, awards, leadership roles, improved test scores, or competitive (especially prestigious) scholarships you’ve won. Email to the admissions office AND to your regional admissions representative. Be sure to include your applicant or college ID (if they’ve assigned one to you) in your email. This is particularly important if you have been deferred or waitlisted. Your letter of continued interest is vital in those situations.  

8. Evaluate your colleges more deeply 

As you are admitted, attending those colleges become real possibilities. Re-examine them, look more deeply at student life, campus ministry, clubs, academic offerings, paying particular attention to your “must haves”. Follow their social media, attend events in your area, read the online version of the student newspaper, etc. Keep up to date on your colleges as part of your deep evaluation of them. 

 9. Withdraw or decline any offers of admission that you want to reject

Doing so frees up a spot for another student and releases any scholarship money you’ve been offered. This is courteous and respectful. Just send a polite email to the admissions office, again including your applicant or student ID. 

 10. Thank those who helped you prepare your application

Give thoughtful handwritten thank you notes to your recommenders and counselor as well as anyone else who helped you along the way. Thank those people who have been invaluable in helping you become the person you are today. And take time to savor the experiences of this final semester of high school. Enjoy those last games and dances and classes….  

11. Finish well

Stay in the present. While the prospect of going to a beloved college is exciting, today is still today; today is the day you have been given. Live it well. Pay attention in class, do well on exams, projects, and papers. What you learn this semester continues to build the foundation for your future. If you change your courses this term, you need to let the colleges (both those that have admitted you and those still evaluating your application) know, which could negatively impact your situation. Finish strong, continue to build effective study skills. Prep for your AP exams as they can still turn into college credits, but only if you do well. 

For help with the college process, from 8th - 12th grades, from leadership skill development, career exploration, college funding planning, college budgeting, to scholarships, college selection, applications, essays, visit CelticCollegeConsultants.com or email Katherine: KOB@CelticCollegeConsultants.com

A Look at Ten Recent Admissions Trends

 

 by Katherine O'Brien, ThD Candidate, Founder of Celtic College Consultants

Admissions trends are interesting. With thousands of colleges, each having its own slant or take on how to evaluate applications and select which students to issue admissions invitations, which to waitlist, and which to decline, pinpointing their rationale is impossible. Nonetheless, as my colleagues and I share our notes and observations on the outcomes for the Class of 2023, various trends emerge. I have gathered and categorized the comments of many colleagues. I am grateful for their public candor, sharing what they have seen with others in our professional communities.

1. Increased Use of Enrollment Management Tools

Underlying much of what we see happening are statistical analysis tools used by most colleges to predict yield (the likelihood of each candidate to attend that college if s/he is admitted). This is used to help admissions offices offer the correct number of acceptances in order to yield the number of students the college desires to have for the next class. This information is nuanced in many ways, for example, to ensure that a particular college or major within a university has an appropriate number of students or that the percentage of in state and out of state students is what they desire it to be or to balance the full pay students with students who need deep discounts in order to attend (revenue yield). Correlated to this is the increase we have seen in the laws enacted in many states, setting forth regulations regarding various aspects of college admissions.

2. Larger than Usual Tuition and other Cost Increases

Ascribed to COVID costs and inflation, costs have increased at an increasing rate. Numerous schools now have a cost of attendance of over $90,000 per year. To have the total cost of one year of college nearing the six figure mark is a fact which leads many families to remove those schools from their lists. Either they fear they will not be able to afford even the net cost at these schools (or their student will feel out of place because designer clothes, etc. will not be their norm) or they are affluent families simply unwilling to spend so much on college. College costs have long increased at a rate exceeding other costs and income increases; the jumps in those increases in recent years has been notable, breathtaking even.

 

3. The Common App is Less Common than it was just a couple of years ago

The Common Application is a platform used by more than 1,000 colleges and universities. It includes common information (demographics, activities, courses and grades, and a main essay) which is sent to every college the student lists. Colleges also include particular questions and supplemental essays which are specific to the college or the major or program the student is applying to. In the past couple of years, the number of these mini-essays has increased significantly. The inclusion of various diversity questions among those supplemental essays has also increased significantly.

 

4. Student Abilities, A Huge Increase in both Superstars and Poor Communicators

On one end of the spectrum, high achieving students are accomplishing truly incredible things. However, the number of these superstars is also increasing significantly. This means that the pool of top notch students has broadened. Students typically fail to recognize this shift so do not respect the reality of the admissions pools they join. 

On the other end, for several years now, we have noticed a precipitous drop in the caliber of student writing. Composing a sentence has become a major challenge for many. Writing a coherent paragraph is a major accomplishment for most. The introspection and internal reflection required to write truly excellent personal statements, admittedly difficult for teens, has become even more elusive. 

5. Application Inflation

At the same time as we are seeing a swelling in the number of top applicants, we are also seeing an uptick in the number of applications each is submitting. Both of these factors lead to increasingly selective admissions results. Keep in mind that selective admissions tends to work like a magnet for those colleges, attracting even more top notch applicants. Applying to wonderful schools that your peers are not applying to is a prudent practice.

 

6. Early Decision and Early Application shifts

For high fliers, ED has become a key strategy. Previously, most of us widely discouraged ED applications, because of the commitment they entail, to all but the most dedicated to a particular school students. Now, with many, many colleges and universities filling half or more of their classes from the ED pools, applying Early Decision is key for our top notch students. 

Among our EA applicants, we are seeing farm more deferrals, followed by waitlist placements, rather than acceptances. These factors are making us rethink the advice we give our students.

 

7. Grade Inflation is Rampant/Test Optional Policies are Smoke and Mirrors

Somehow, 70% of high school students appear to have a 4.0 or higher GPA. One of my colleague mused, wondering if an A now indicates that a student has completed all assignments and requirements. I recently shared the school profile with a student who thought she was a tremendous catch for any college. I showed her that she was in the middle of the pack in her own high school, furthermore in the applicant pool. This sort of reality check is needed all around.

Related to this is the steady return to requiring test scores for admissions. Test optional policies, in many cases, truly are a secret code. They mean: send us your scores, unless you are low income, or have some other significant impediment to taking the tests. If you have such an impediment, it better be evident on the application, along with validation for your academic prowess, whether that be college courses and grades or IB or AP scores... For those of you still unsure, be aware that a higher percentage of the pool of students who apply with ACT or SAT scores is admitted than of the pool of students who do not include those scores.

 

8. Alternative Avenues to Admissions are Significantly Increasing

Perhaps this is happening in order to have these students not impact the enrollment yield and admissions rate percentages. We are noticing a significant increasing in alternative pathways to college, including summer start, spring start, guaranteed transfer, and first semester abroad programs. One of my colleagues commented about these, capturing the sentiments many of us detect underneath these acceptances, "start here as a second class citizen, so we don't have to count you in our admission rates, etc." (Karime Jankauskas)

 

9. An increase in Rejections and Wait List Placements

Following from several of the points above, we are all seeing an increase in rejections, particularly unexpected rejections, this year. Several commented that they have seen this, even with demonstrated interest. This trend is particularly difficult for families who have a limited college budget so have chosen schools where their student is overqualified. They are rejected because the colleges don't believe they will actually attend that college, that the applicant is using them as a super-safety school. This is also related to the flood of superstars in the applicant pool as well as various other factors mentioned above.

 

10. Students Ignoring Advice

This has always been something with which we have to contend. It goes with the territory of working with teens. However, we are noticing a significant increase in students ignoring advice, data, and facts from ourselves, trained, seasoned professionals, as well as from other informed adults in their lives. Instead, we are seeing an increase in students doing their own thing, applying to schools never discussed, etc.

 

 

College admissions has never been a straightforward process. One trend which has not changed is that students working with a college consultant fare better in admissions and in their college careers. They are better prepared, have more appropriate college lists, and more polished and authentic applications.

To discuss working with Katherine, kindly email her to inquire regarding her availability. In order to provide top quality personalized services, she limits her cohorts for each graduating class. Her email address is: KOB@CelticCollegeConsultants.com

Why Go to College?

by Katherine O'Brien, MA CCPS, Founder of Celtic College Consultants

Colleges offer an amazing array of opportunities from design your own courses to design your  major, to interdisciplinary approaches to a topic to double majors to various experiential learning offerings, and on and on and on. With such a dizzying array of choices, it is all too easy to get lost in the maze from the first day to the graduation stage. In fact, many students do just that, as they mosey from one semester to the next without any clear, well considered goal in mind.

According to the great philosopher, Socrates, the unexamined life is not worth living. Therefore, let us take a few moments while we are in high school to examine our lives in order to begin to formulate a goal. Once a goal exists, the possibility of creating a plan to achieve becomes a reality.

How does a teen profitably examine him- or her-self?

The teen years are fraught with difficulties. Bodies and brains are developing, maturation is beginning to manifest, one's horizon decidedly expands beyond the family; it's a time of massive transition. With all of those changes, many fall prey to anxiety, insecurity creeps in as they seem to not be as wonderful as other kids, and paralysis regarding the future can set in.

It is precisely into this quandary that I intrepidly enter. As a trusted mentor who is a parent but not their parent, is a counselor yet independent of the school, I am able to enter with a gravitas which is real but not stifling. 

I help teens come to know their core personalities. I affirm their core strengths, academic, leadership, social, etc. I identify possibilities for them. I guide them through exploration and evaluation of possible careers and majors and programs. I help them see for themselves, recognize what resonates within their hearts, and let go of what doesn't. I add the practical (what needs to happen to get from HS to that career, can you earn a living doing that?, is the field viable/will anyone be hiring in that field?, etc.) as well.

Working with a professional like myself, teens grow in confidence, clarity, and conviction about who they are and why they want to go to college. That completely shifts the criteria for college selection from random guesswork to focused benchmarks.

Let's collaborate. The national average time to earn a bachelor's degree does not need to continue to be 6+ years. With clear goals, some won't go to college, because it's not the right path for them. Those who do go, will go to schools that have the programs they need to both thrive as individuals as well as become equipped to succeed in their chosen fields.

8 Ways Parents Can Help Teens Avoid Student Loans

by Katherine O'Brien, MA CCPS
Founder, Celtic College Consultants

Teenagers typically see the world as nothing but possibility.  While this is true, those possibilities always have costs and trade-offs which are often overlooked by teens.  Being strategic about which colleges your student applies to can help him or her avoid taking out student loans.

1.     Start estimating your EFC and net prices during freshman year.  I regularly meet parents who are shocked and dismayed at their EFC (Expected Family Contribution) when the FAFSA is filed during their child’s senior year.  Never before had they any idea how much college was going to cost.  Yikes!  Spend some time net price calculators, then show your teen how to do the same.  This has the side benefit of incentivizing him or her when s/he can see the net cost shift based on improved GPA and/or test scores.

2.     Discuss money and the financial side of college early.  When you put off having that conversation, you are missing the opportunity you have to set expectations.  Your child needs to know that the choice of which college to attend will have the single biggest impact on his or her future financial state.  Explain to them that they need to make wise choices financially, and that brand name colleges, like everything else, aren’t necessarily the best choices.  Also take the time to help them understand that what is best for their best friend(s) may not be best for them.

3.     Do NOT procrastinate about filing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)!  It opens October 1 and needs to be filed during your child’s senior year for his or her freshman year (and re-filed every year after that for each subsequent year of college).  Filing this form will make your child eligible for federal loans and grants, as well as (as determined by each state and college) a great deal of additional need (and sometimes merit) aid.  Much financial aid is awarded in a more or less first come, first served basis.  Put yourself at the front of the line!

4.     As a woman of faith, I can solemnly assure you that “Hope and Pray” is NOT a good college application strategy.  While it’s exciting to try to get accepted at highly selective or reach schools, this dream can become a financial nightmare, for both your child and yourself.  The temptation to stretch yourself too thin in order to make the “dream school” a reality (despite it being unaffordable for you!) is great.  It’s better to insist that the college list (list of schools s/he will apply to) ONLY include schools that you expect to be affordable, based on actual research and realistic expectations.

5.     Out of state costs for public universities can be as much as DOUBLE what they are for in state students.  This works well for the universities, especially in states like California and Illinois where budget cuts have been significant.  However, paying double for something similar to your in-state universities is ridiculous.  (Honors colleges are a completely different case.)

6.     Many assume that all scholarships are great and will make a significant difference when paying for college.  Many private scholarships are for $1,000 or less and last only one year.  They also are counted as resources and reduce need based financial aid eligibility dollar for dollar.  Selecting colleges with generous scholarship programs your student would be eligible for will make a much greater difference to the financial bottom line.

7.     Choosing colleges because they are highly ranked doesn’t guarantee that your student will have a good experience or the educational opportunities you hope for.  The criteria to be highly ranked often differs from a given family’s idea of what make a good college.

8.     Parents are the best educators for teens in matters of money.  Your regular interaction enables you to mentor how to comparison shop, save up for a special purchase, develop and use a budget, and borrow money.  Educating them about the realities of debt can significantly help teens avoid a nightmare of debt and set financial boundaries during the college search process.  If you ask a bank, which derives most of its income from lending money, to teach your child about how to manage their money, you can reasonably expect them to be taught how to be good consumer and borrower.

For more information on Katherine O'Brien's college consulting services and the program she uses to save students hundreds of thousands of dollars on college, see www.CelticCollegeConsultants.com

Should You Homeschool High School? Part 4: A Look at Financial Aid Basics

By Katherine O'Brien, MA CCPS

Founder, Celtic College Consultants

Author, Every Catholic’s Guide to College: The Best US Colleges & Universities for Practicing Catholics, 2018 & 2019, and The Ultimate Guide to Top Quality College Planning, all available through Amazon.com

Photo by Pepi Stojanovski on unsplash.com

Financial Aid, Scholarships

First things first.  Your child WILL be eligible for federal financial aid, even if s/he earns a non-accredited diploma.  S/He’ll need to file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) each year, just like all other students.

Financial Aid & Scholarships Basics

Financial aid and scholarships MUST be applied for.  There are a number of means to do so: financial aid applications, scholarship applications, etc.  Sometimes the student’s application for admissions is also used to determine his or her eligibility for various scholarship programs the school offers.  Sometimes a separate application, or series of applications and/or interviews will be required.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT EACH COLLEGE’S FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIP WEBSITE BE CAREFULLY REVIEWED.  The particular opportunities, requirements, and deadlines at that institution will be posted.  Some schools have a central scholarships page, sometimes with their own search function, while others have information scattered around.  Scholarships can be given by the university, the college within the university, and/or the academic and athletic departments.

Need Based Aid – is comprised of tuition reductions, grants, and loans which are qualified for on the basis of “need.”  In common parlance, anyone whose budget comes up short would be thought to be in need.  In the realm of financial aid, there are formuli used to determine need, also known as demonstrated need.  Forms must be completed and submitted by deadlines set by the schools.  For federal student aid, the FAFSA form (fafsa.ed.gov) is the form which qualifies all citizens and legal aliens for federal student aid programs ranging from Pell grants to federal student and parent loan programs.  Colleges award need based federal aid before they award any other aid.  There are a couple of colleges in the country who have opted out of the federal student aid programs.  These schools have their own financial aid programs. 

Colleges can also provide need based aid to students.  Many use the FAFSA formula as their guide.  Some colleges and universities also require the CSS PROFILE (profileonline.collegeboard.org) form and/or their own forms.  A few colleges require their own forms.

EFC/Expected Family Contribution – is the official amount of money the FAFSA or PROFILE processor determines, based on their formula, that the student and his or her family can pay for one year of college.  There are five factors that contribute to the EFC:

1.    Parent income (for the calendar year before the year in which the student is applying; for the 2020/2021 school year, 2018 income information will be used.) is based on the Adjusted Gross Income (bottom line on your 1040) of the parents.  In the case of divorce, the parent is the one with whom the student lives more than half of the time or the parent who provides more than half of the financial support. (50.1%)  If the parent is re-married, s/he will report the income of both him/herself and his/her spouse.

2.    Parent assets (current at the time of the form filing) including all portfolio assets with the exception of the family residence, retirement savings, life insurance, and/or annuities.  Businesses are valued at zero if there are fewer than 100 employees.  See PROFILE instructions for their alternate rules.

3.    Student income (for the same calendar year as the parents.  For example, for a student graduating in June 2019, starting college during the 2019/2020 school year (fall – summer), 2017 income information will be used.

4.    Student assets, current at the time of the initial FAFSA filing.  The same assets are reported for the student as were for the parents.

5.    Resources include all outside resources, be they money from grandparents or private scholarships. 

Grants – are monies given to students based on need.  They can be federal money, like Pell or SEOG grants, or they can be money from the state, like the CalGrant program in California, or from the college itself.  Grants do not need to be repaid.  

Scholarships – are monies given to students based on merit of some kind.  There are two main categories of scholarships, from a financial aid eligibility perspective.  Institutional scholarships comprise 93% of all scholarship dollars.  These funds come directly from the colleges themselves.  Private Scholarships are those offered by other organizations like the Knights of Columbus, Nordstrom, etc.  Private scholarships are considered resources by the financial aid formuli.  They reduce a student’s eligibility for need based aid dollar for dollar.

Some scholarships have a need component.  This means that the scholarship awarding agency takes into account both merit qualifications and the student’s financial need. 

Some scholarship money may be taxed.  Money used for purposes other than tuition and fees is considered taxable income to the student.  Check with your tax preparer for particular information for your situation.

Gap – is the difference between your demonstrated need and the amount of financial aid offered.  Most schools “gap” students; they do not meet the full demonstrated need.

Other Aid – Some schools participate in collectives through which they offer tuition discounts to students who live in certain other states.  The Western Undergraduate Exchange & the Midwest Student Exchange Program are two examples.  These tuition reductions are not need based and are only merited by virtue of the student’s state of residence.  Not every public school in states that participate in an exchange offers the program.  Some limit the program to include or exclude certain majors.  Details are found on each regional exchange’s website.

Net Price Calculator – By federal law, every college and university is required to have a net price calculator on its website.  Sadly, many tuck them away and make them difficult to find.  It is often easier to simply use the school’s search function to find it.  In order to get an accurate estimation, the calculator will need to ask about the student’s GPA and test scores.  The less information requested, the less reliable the estimate will be.  Sadly, they are not required to provide a calculator that gives an accurate estimate of inquiring student’s likely out of pocket costs.

Katherine O’Brien, MA CCPS is a Catholic homeschooling mother of six who has homeschooled since 1998.  She is the founder of Celtic College Consultants and has served college bound teens all across the US since 2004.  Students in her 2015 -2018 classes were offered over $237,000 each, on average, in merit scholarships. In 2017, Katherine compiled and released Every Catholic’s Guide to College: The 315 Best US Colleges & Universities for Practicing Catholics, 2018.  It is available on Amazon.com.  Kolbe Academy families are eligible for 10% off of all of her services and $100 off her initial consultation fee.