Real College Savings

Insider's Guide to Admissions

2008-08-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

The CFS office will be closed September 1st through the 8th. We'll be back in the office on September 9th.

This Friday, September 29th, is Natalie's last day. I want to thank her very much for the four years she has worked with me. She has been a great blessing to me and our clients. Natalie, God bless you in your future endeavors.
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Douglas Christiansen is Vanderbilt University's associate provost for enrollment and dean of admissions. He's spent the last 20 years in admissions leadership roles in both public and private universities. Now he's using his expertise to give students practical advice on what they can do to get into the right college, in hopes of clearing some of the mystery and misconceptions surrounding the admissions process.

In a series of short and direct video clips, Christiansen tackles questions such as, "How should I prepare for my college essay—what if I'm not the greatest writer?" "My parents have decent jobs, but we haven't saved much for college. What are my chances of getting financial aid?" "As an admissions insider, what tips can you give to help me sound my best in my application?"

Christiansen also talks about when extracurricular activities can actually hurt an applicant and how to ease the stress surrounding the admissions process.

ALERT: Early Decision & Early Action

2008-08-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's coming up on college admission time. So you need to start thinking about having your students fill out their admission applications. This is a great time to revisit the pitfalls of the "early decision" and "early action" processes.

Early decision and early action are two very misunderstood policies used by colleges to boost their enrollments as early as possible.

These policies make good business sense for the colleges, but do they make sense for you? Unequivocally, NO... and maybe.

Early decision is a legally binding agreement between a college and the student. The student can apply to as many colleges as he or she desires, but they can only apply to one college under the early decision criteria. Students apply under early decision hoping to have an admission decision from the college of their choice as early as possible. If the student is not admitted to the college under the early decision criteria, that students application most often is not reconsidered during the regular admission process. However, if the student is admitted to the college under the early decision criteria, then you have got a really big problem.

Any student that is admitted to a college under the early decision rules, must go to that college no matter what kind of offer they receive from any other college. In fact, most colleges utilizing early decision require students to immediately withdrawal their applications to all other colleges if they are admitted. This is well before you have seen any kind of financial package from any school. Under early decision, you are required to commit to one and only one college before you have any idea what it will cost you to go to school there. Used car salesmen can only dream of a sales tactic that is so underhanded.

Never under any circumstances agree to early decision. If you do, you will lose all hope of negotiating; and you will lose any flexibility of accepting a better offer from another college, even if it was thousands of dollars more.

Early action is a horse of a different color. Early action operates on essentially the same timetable as early decision, but it does not have the negative effects. There is no legally binding agreement between the student and school under early action criteria. However, you need to review the individual school's early action criteria because some schools may withdrawal their offers for admission if action is not taken. Early action notifies students early in the admissions process whether they have been accepted or not. If they are not accepted under early action, sometimes their applications are moved to the normal admissions process.

In many cases, early action does not have negative impacts, but you should always read the fine print.

The bottom line is never put yourself in a position that you have to make a decision to attend a college before you know what it will cost. Otherwise, you are truly buying the proverbial “pig in a poke”. Always wait for the financial award offers before committing to any college.

We Blew Our Record Right Out Of The Water

2008-07-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

In April of this year, I had a mother come to me who was way behind the eight-ball. She was going through a divorce and had not filed any of the financial paperwork for her son. No FAFSA. No Profile. No nothing. Worse yet, her son was a worse case scenario. He wanted to go to Tufts University and Tufts alone. This really gives us no wiggle room to work with.

I made sure she understood that she was in a tough position, but we would do our best to see what we could make of it. She was elated just to find someone who would take the paperwork headache of her shoulders. So we went about getting the FAFSA, the Profile, and the other ancillary forms filed. And Tufts came back expecting her and her son to come up with... over $50,000 each year. Ouch.

I told her we still had the negotiations phase to go through. Now anyone in my position will tell you that negotiating this late in the year is difficult at best. It is normal to get minimal results. Well let me tell you what happened yesterday.

Joan (we'll call her Joan) received the new financial aid award on June 30th. She was in my office on July 1st. As we sat down and looked over the new award summary, it hit me. We had just blown away our previous average improvement for negotiations. For years, I've been proud of our $2,000 average annual improvement during the negotiations phase. Just that phase alone is more than double of our highest service level price. That always assured me that we provide a service that has substantial value. Well, that average is no longer accurate. Sitting with Joan yesterday, we were looking over an annual improvement of... now get this... over $35,000!

$35,000!!! Holy cow!

Folks it just goes to show you; there is no situation that is hopeless. There is no one that we should not at least try to help.

$35,000! That's good.

Click on the image below to check out the invitation to our next Quad City workshops...

New Office & US News Critique

2008-06-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

We have moved to our new offices at 3011 North Harrison Street in Davenport. It took us a while to get the building ready, but we're very pleased with the work that has been done. We'll be hosting an open-house in the near future, but in the mean time, schedule an appointment and stop by to see us.

View Larger Map

The following are two critiques of the US News and World Report college rankings that come out every year. In a nutshell, beware of beauty contests.

You can also check out a CBS News story on the ranking system here at this link.

College Reviews: Pitt & Penn

2008-04-04T05:02:00.000-07:00

With the Democratic nomination coming down to the wire, many people are turning their attention to Pennsylvania. So let's look at two schools from the cradle of our democracy.
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University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.pitt.edu/

Out of state COA: $33,286
In state COA: $23,776

Family Need Met: 78%
Avg Free Money: 45%
Avg Self-Help: 55%

Founded in 1787 as a small, private school, the Pittsburgh Academy was located in a log cabin near Pittsburgh’s three rivers. In the 220 years since, the University has evolved into an internationally recognized center of learning and research.

Factors like performing arts, museums, sports, healthcare, and safety make Pittsburgh the "second-most attractive college town" in the U.S. among cities of its size, according to a recent survey. Pitt Arts connects our students to the extensive cultural life of the region, providing free admission to many of our neighboring museums and city events.

_____________________

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

http://www.upenn.edu/

COA: $49,233

Family Need Met: 100%

Avg Free Money: 72%

Avg Self-Help: 28%

For more than two centuries, the University of Pennsylvania has been committed to excellence in scholarship, research and service. From its highly regarded undergraduate, graduate and professional schools to its wide-ranging program of interdisciplinary research and scholarship, Penn takes pride in being a place where students and faculty can pursue knowledge without boundaries, a place where theory and practice combine to produce a better understanding of our world and ourselves.

At the University of Pennsylvania, you'll find a historic, Ivy League school with highly selective admissions and a history of innovation in interdisciplinary education and scholarship. You'll also find a picturesque campus amidst a dynamic city and a world-class research institution.

Penn carries on the principles and spirit of its founder, Benjamin Franklin: entrepreneurship, innovation, invention, outreach, and a pragmatic love of knowledge. Franklin's practical outlook has remained a driving force in the university's development.

What's Missing from These 50?

2008-03-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

Now as many of you know, I am not a fan of the "Best" school lists. I think they put way too much emphasis on marketing, and no emphasis on what is the best school for your student. That said, I'm going to discuss a recent article from Business Week magazine. There is something very peculiar about it.

In the February 28th issue of Business Week, the magazine ran an article on the top 50 schools to get a Bachelors degree in Business. The article starts with Rutgers University and finishes with the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. But there are some glaring omissions from this list that everyone would assume would be in the top ten. No where in this list will you find the names of Harvard, Princeton, Yale, or many other excellent schools. Harvard, home of the Harvard Business Review, the gold standard of business case study education did not even make the list?

Does this mean that Harvard, Princeton, and the like have not been putting enough resources into their business schools to compete with schools like the University of Illinois, the University of Texas, or Brigham Young? No, obviously that is not the case. What this article does show is there is no practical standard that anyone can use to come up with a list of the 50 "Best" schools of anything. I will say it once again, the "Best" school lists are not much more than beauty pageants that do little to nothing to help your student find the best school for them. Avoid them.

Hawaii & FAFSA Truth

2008-03-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Weather like what we've been having here in the Midwest makes me think of warmer places. So I'm profiling two schools in Hawaii: The University of Hawaii at Manoa and Hawaii Pacific University.
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University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii
www.manoa.hawaii.edu

Out of state COA: $24,782
In state COA: $15,518

Family Need Met: 68%
Avg Free Money: 39%
Avg Self Help: 61%

Founded in 1907, the University of Hawai`i at Manoa is the flagship campus for the University of Hawai`i System. A land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant institution, it is the only public university in Hawai`i. UH Manoa is a diverse and doctorate-level university that emphasizes academic quality; research in Hawaiian, Pacific, and Asian studies; and community services.

Founded: 1907
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i; in the Manoa valley on the island of O`ahu
Campus size: 320 acres
Colleges: 11
Schools: nine
Degrees: bachelor’s degrees in 87 fields; master’s degrees in 87 fields; doctoral degrees in 51 fields
Average class size: 31 (freshman and sophomore)/20 (junior and senior)
Student-faculty ratio: 16:1
Percentage of faculty with doctoral degrees: 80
Accreditation: Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

________________________

Hawaii Pacific University
Honolulu, Hawaii
www.hpu.edu

COA: $26,740

Family Need Met: 79%
Avg Free Money: 40%
Avg Self Help: 60%

Hawai'i Pacific University is more than an excellent university with outstanding and rigorous academic programs, an ideal location, faculty who are well-respected in their fields, students from all over the world who come to learn in a multicultural environment, and a service orientation emphasizing individualized attention to each student. It is also a comprehensive university offering a number of unique experiences, events, and traditions for its students, faculty, and staff as well as the community.

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A recent issue of US News and World Report contained an enlightening article on the college financial aid system. Two Harvard University economists have completed a thorough study of the FAFSA process. Not surprisingly, they concluded that the FAFSA on average takes ten times longer to complete than what the schools and Department of Education claim.

Borrow against your 401K and The Superbowl

2008-02-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

Because of weather, the January 29th workshop at the Moline Public Library in Moline, IL has been rescheduled twice. We will be having the workshop on Tuesday February, 12th at 7pm. It is still at the Moline Public Library. Thank you to the staff over there for being so flexible.

In this months issue:

What to consider when you are thinking about borrowing money from your 401k to pay for your student's college education. 401k loans are very different animals when compared to your home loans, credit cards, auto loans, and education loans.
Webinars will soon be provided by College Financial Strategies.
Just for grins... my favorite picks of the SuperBowl commercials.

Does it make sense to borrow from your 401k to pay for college?

This is a common question I receive. My standard answer is "no". Here's why...

Your student has much more time to prepare for their retirement, than you have to prepare for your's. I know we all want to provide our students with the best possible opportunities, but bankrupting your retirement is not the way to do it. Don't worry, your student will have over 40 years of time to pay off their education and save for their retirement. How much time do you have as their parent? 20 years? Maybe?

The costs of borrowing out of your 401k are much greater than the interest rates. You also have the opportunity costs of your missing returns.

Depending upon what the interest rates and administrative costs are on your 401k loan, you could be looking at some very substantial losses when borrowing. The cumulative impact is much more than what you would have with more traditional types of financing such as home equity or education loans.

Webinars Coming Soon!

Keep watching CFStrategies.com. We will be announcing soon about our new Webinar schedule. This will allow us to better serve people all across the country. Our first webinars will be our Money and College presentation, and the new Student's Goal & Passions Workshop.

Just for Grins...

Ok, just for the heck of it. Last Sunday was the Superbowl. It was one heck of a game. This was one of the few years I had just as much fun watching the football as I did the commercials. That said, here are my favorite commercials.

Diet Pepsi Max...

Bridgestone tires...

SOBE...

And Audi pays homage to The Godfather...

I just get a kick out of those.

We're splitting up the newsletter. Look for the College Profiles mid-month.

What can you do with UGMA & UTMA accounts?

2008-01-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Upcoming Workshops in the Quad Cities and Rockford

CFS will be holding free workshops in Moline and Bettendorf at the end of the month.

Tuesday, January 29^th, 7pm
Moline Public Library, 3210 41^st St, Moline, IL

Thursday, January 31^st, 7pm
Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, IA

Scott Anderson will also be teaching at Rock Valley College in Rockford, IL on Saturday, January 26^th at 10am. Contact Rock Valley College and ask about the Maximizing Money for College class.

What can you do with Custodial Accounts?

Custodial accounts (UGMA & UTMA) have been common methods for saving money for college. UGMA stands for Uniform Gift to Minors Act and was implemented in the 1950’s. UTMA stands for Uniform Transfer to Minors Act, was implemented in 1986, and supercedes the UGMA rules in all states except South Carolina and Vermont. UGMA & UTMA accounts are students’ monies and cannot be transferred to parents or other siblings. These accounts are common, but they can be sources of a lot of confusion. Worse yet, these accounts are penalized at the highest level in the financial aid process.

To maximize your opportunities for various monies from the colleges and government, it is important to get as much money as possible out of your student’s custodial accounts. So what can you do with them?

The first thing you can do with them is spend the money. UGMA & UTMA monies must be spent on behalf of the student, but cannot be spent on items considered “parental obligations”, or those items which are normal to the raising of any child. This means you cannot spend the money on a student’s clothes, food, shelter, health care, etc.

You can spend the money on those items for the child which are not considered normal, everyday expenses associated with raising any child. These items can include cars, computers, college tuition, summer camp, musical instruments, special school expenses, private school tuition, paying taxes on the UGMA or UTMA account, etc.

Parents often ask if they can be reimbursed for previous expenses out of their child’s UGMA or UTMA account. This is kind of a grey area. The expense at the time may have been for the benefit of the child. But is the reimbursement after the fact for the benefit of the child or the parent. Timeliness is probably the key in this instance. How timely is the reimbursement to the expense. If the parent wants a reimbursement for their child’s summer camp expense five years ago, that’s probably not going to be kosher. If the parent is taking a reimbursement in the fall for a car purchased over the summer, that would probably be ok.

No matter what , always make sure you have a written permanent record of the expenses paid out of the custodial account. If you don’t have a written permanent record, woe unto you if you ever have a run-in with the IRS.

The second thing you can do with the money in UGMA & UTMA accounts is shelter it. In sheltering, you keep the money in the student’s name, but you move the money to assets which are not penalized in the financial aid process. It is recommended that you shelter monies when you still need the student’s money while in college, or you want to keep the money around after the student graduates.

Sheltering can be fairly complex. Please contact us for further information.

Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI www.msu.edu
Next stop on the campaign trail…

Cost of Attendance

In-State

Cost of Attendance

Out-State

Family Need Met

Free Money

Self-Help

$18,658

$32,518

82%

53%

47%

Known internationally as a major U.S. public university with global reach, Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research, and outreach for over 150 years. MSU is a member of the Association of American Universities, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and the Big Ten athletic conference.

Michigan State University holds a unique position in the state's educational system. As a respected research and teaching university, it is committed to intellectual leadership and to excellence in both developing new knowledge and conveying that knowledge to its students and to the public. And as a pioneer land-grant institution, Michigan State University strives to discover practical uses for theoretical knowledge, and to speed the diffusion of information to residents of the state, the nation, and the world. In fostering both research and its application, this university will continue to be a catalyst for positive intellectual, social, and technological change.

St. Anselm College
Manchester, NH www.anselm.edu
Last stop on the campaign trail…

Cost of Attendance	Family Need Met	Free Money	Self-Help
$38,690	87%	54%	46%

Saint Anselm is located on a hilltop overlooking Manchester, N.H., within an hour of the seacoast, Boston, the White Mountains, and New Hampshire's Lakes Region.

Founded in 1889 by the world's oldest religious order, the Benedictines—a Catholic order that has endured and thrived for more than 1,500 years—we have spent 118 years shaping an academic community designed to meet your expectations.

Whether you want to be a doctor, teacher, nurse, or lawyer; start your own business or make films—or you simply know you want to make a difference and you want to figure out the best way to do it, Saint Anselm will give you the options, experience, and mentors to connect, solve, to serve, lead and especially to do the right thing.

Named one of the country's "Colleges with a Conscience" by The Princeton Review, Saint Anselm shapes the kind of leader the world is hungry for; not only smart, but good. We invite you to be one of them.

Closed for Christmas and New Years

2007-12-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

CFS will be closed for Christmas and New Years from Monday, December 24th through Wednesday, January 2nd. The office will reopen on Thursday, January 3rd.

You can still contact us, our email and voice-mail will be checked regularly. If you need to contact Scott Anderson during this time, the best method will be email at scott@cfstrategies.com.

The High School Senior Christmas Shopping List

2007-11-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

Your student doesn’t want to have money in their name in January when you file their financial aid forms. Students do not have an asset protection allowance. Every dollar they have in their name is going to increase their expected family contribution.

Therefore buy what they need for college in the fall for their Christmas presents, and use their money doing it.

Here is their Holiday shopping list.

The Gizmo’s and Gadget’s

The Computer (let’s start with the really fun one): if your student does not yet have a computer of their own, or the one they do have is outdated; you should certainly consider this as the “A” #1 gift. Consider a multimedia computer with a TV tuner card. You can kill a lot of birds with one stone here. Not only will a multimedia machine act as their computer, but it will also be their TV, their DVD player, their TV recorder, and their stereo. It is truly the Jack of all appliances. And it makes for a great entertainment system for the very few hours they will not spend studying.

A laptop is preferred. There isn't much room in a dorm room, so you don't want to take up precious space with a big desktop unit. Besides, they'll want to be able to take the computer to the library, or class, or home.

If you don’t want to send your student out the door with one do it all machine like above, here are the minimum requirements for a student computer (considering Microsoft Vista is now standard):

Processor: AMD, Intel Pentium 4-M (minimum 800mhz speed)

Memory: at least 1GB (I would recommend 2GB or even 4GB; more memory is often the single most important factor to computer performance)

Hard Drive: at least 100GB

Disk Drive: DVD+RW

Wireless and wired networking equipped

Operating system: Windows Vista Home or Apple MAC OS X (ten)

Software: Microsoft Office XP Standard or Student edition

Standard computers would include:

Dell Inspiron 1720

(I have had a Dell in the past and love their customer service)

HP Pavillion

(Two of our desktop machines are HP and we’ve had great success with them)

Multimedia Machines would include:

Apple MacBook or MacBook Pro

Dell XPS

Toshiba Satellite X205

(my current laptop is a Toshiba and I have been very happy with it)

HP Pavillion HDX

The Printer: although many schools and professors are now allowing students to submit papers in electronic format, this is far from being the norm. So, your student is going to need someway to print off that earth-shattering report on Machiavelli. Printers are dirt cheap today compared to what you got yesterday. You can often pick up a good printer/scanner/copier for less than $150 or even $100

Surge protector: protect the investment you just made.

Phone: I grew up in a telephone family -- literally. My family has been in the telephone business since before there was copper wire; so what I am about to say would have been heresy at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. Go get your student a prepaid wireless phone. Don't bother with the hard wired phones anymore. Phones can double as MP3 players as well.

A digital voice recorder for class lectures: skip the old tape recorder -- your student will likely download the recording to their computer anyway. If you bought a good phone, the phone may double for a voice recorder as well.

Digital camera: they’ll want to preserve the rest of their high school year and college.

www.cnet.com

has excellent reviews of digital cameras. You can get one heck of a good camera for little money these days.

Other appliances:

If you didn’t go the multimedia computer route, then your student is going to want these as well --

TV – small LCD TV’s are very reasonable now

DVD player

Portable Stereo or iPod dock

Coffee Maker – they can’t be a Starbucks all the time

Microwave – if you check out

www.sears.com

, you’ll find quite a few small microwaves for under $100

Refrigerator – you can get several dorm-sized refrigerators for under $100 as well

Art – Most college art isn’t much more than posters on the wall

For around the dorm room

Kitchen type tools: bowl, cup, glasses, can/bottle opener, etc.

Desk Lamp

Alarm clock (one with a really loud and annoying alarm -- they'll need it)

Bulletin board and dry-erase calendar board

A small toolkit (I do not suggest the Craftsman, rolling tool chest; a small bag will do)

Bed linens & Bedding

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX www.tamucc.edu

Cost of Attendance
In-State

Cost of Attendance
Out-State

Family Need Met

Free Money

Self-Help

$16,924

$25,264

63%

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is the only one in the nation that is located on its very own island. With palm trees lining the pathways throughout the 240-acre campus, nearby natural wetlands, and a beach the full length of its Ocean Drive address, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi becomes a first-choice destination for many.

Our attitude stays young because we are able to adapt quickly to new technologies and engage new energies. These are important assets when students seek a university that takes the lead, rather than follows.
We invite you to come see why we are one of the fastest growing universities in the state of Texas. Visit the Island University today!

Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA www.lehigh.edu

Cost of Attendance

Family Need Met

Free Money

Self-Help

$47,160

96%

68%

32%

Set foot on Lehigh University's majestic campus, considered one of America's most beautiful, and you'll be impressed. Learning opportunities abound. Some of the finest faculty and facilities anywhere complement a national academic reputation that draws scholars from all over the world.
But what will transform your life as a Lehigh student happens as much outside the classroom as in. You'll take part in an array of experiences and activities that will shape not only your career, but the rest of your life.

New Website, College Selection, Admissions Applications

2007-11-20T06:45:00.000-08:00

Article: New CFS Website
Article: College Selection & Admission Applications
School Profiles: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Stetson University

New CFS Website

You have got to come check this out! www.CFStrategies.com is all new and better than ever. It is chock full of reports for parents, students, church leaders, and educational professionals. There’s a new blog where you’ll now be able to go back to newsletter archives, and it will allow us to post timely information immediately. The new and improved audio workshop is up. And… this site has all the information for our now permanent Referral-Bonus Program.

College Selection & Admission Applications

If your high school senior has not done so by now, they need to be cranking out their admission applications… Immediately! Here are some tips to help.

1. Always apply to a minimum of four colleges. Four is a minimum! I would much prefer that student apply to six. Students will not always get into the schools they apply to. Not too long ago, I had a client whose daughter applied to ten colleges. Now she was a sharp student, but she was still rejected by nine and wait-listed by one. Imagine the turmoil that student was going through as she was rejected by school after school. This is a competitive process, and prudence demands multiple applications to minimize risk. Multiple applications will also give your student multiple financial awards. You’ll be able to see the differing amounts of money a school wants to give your student. And you’ll be able to see which schools really want your student.

2. The second lesson to learn out of the above example is to not populate the list of colleges your student is applying to with only the most competitive schools. You may have the most stellar student in their high school. But it is not a good idea to apply only to highly selective schools in the hope they may get the brass ring. You need to apply to at least one safety school. At the safety school, you know your student is getting in, no matter what. Community colleges are good examples of safety schools. You need to apply to 3 to 5 “core” schools. Core schools are where your student will have a very good opportunity to place in the top 25% or 50% of the incoming freshman class. This will provide a good selection of schools where your student has more likelihood to stand out and therefore get more money. Then you can apply to one or two “stretch” schools. Stretch schools are where you’re not sure if your student can get in, but it would be a real accomplishment if they did. The two primary indicators of how a student places in the incoming freshman class are measured by GPA and the standardized test scores.

3. Apply online if at all possible. Most colleges today have online admission applications. These can be found in the admissions or prospective student sections of the colleges’ websites. The following is an example of the online admissions application at Iowa State University www.applyweb.com/apply/iastate/

4. Put together a student summary sheet that can be presented to anyone requested to write a letter of recommendation. This summary sheet should include high school activities, GPA, significant accomplishments, and leadership positions held. Think of it as a mini résumé. This will considerably help those you ask to write recommendation letters.

5. Finally, avoid the temptation to try and identify the “Best” schools. The “Best College” guides, such as from US News & World Report, have done incredible harm to the college selection process. These beauty contest guides have little to do with the excellence of education, and far more to do with the marketing budgets of colleges. Applying to colleges is not about trying to identify the “best” colleges… if there is such as thing. This process is to find the best college for your student.

If you have a topic you would like covered for our newsletter, please email us and let us know.

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN www.umn.edu/tc

Cost of Attendance

In-State

Cost of Attendance

Out-State

Family Need Met

Free Money

Self-Help

$20,353

$31,983

88%

42%

58%

The University of Minnesota was founded as a preparatory school in 1851, seven years before the territory of Minnesota became a state. Financial problems forced the school to close during the Civil War, but with the help of Minneapolis entrepreneur John Sargent Pillsbury, it reopened in1867. Known as the father of the University, Pillsbury, who was a University regent, state senator, and governor, used his influence to establish the school as the official recipient of public support from the Morrill Land-Grant Act, designating it as Minnesota's land-grant university.

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

Stetson University
DeLand, FL www.stetson.edu

Cost of Attendance	Family Need Met	Free Money	Self-Help
$38,468	87%	75%	25%

As Florida’s first private university, Stetson University sets the standard for excellent teaching and innovative, superior programs. We’re proud to be a nationally recognized leader in education with a commitment to values and social responsibility. Perhaps most important of all, Stetson is committed to making top-quality, private education affordable to a diverse group of qualified students.

Stetson University’s rich tradition began in 1883 when it was founded by New York businessman Henry DeLand and named for his friend, Philadelphia hat manufacturer John B. Stetson.

Today the DeLand campus serves about 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration and School of Music. In St. Petersburg/Gulfport, the Stetson University College of Law serves about 900 students. Stetson University’s four colleges and schools offer 13 degree programs in more than 60 majors and minors, giving students the best of two worlds: the variety of a university with the individual attention found at small colleges. The $7.2 million Stetson University Center at Celebration opened in 2001 and offers graduate programs in business, education and counseling, along with professional development programs for educators and an arts academy.