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Applications, Essays, Financial Aid, OH MY!

How do you get started, you ask? The RISLA College Planning Center, a free service of the non-profit Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) will host a series of events through the Fall to help you navigate through college planning and to help spread awareness for Rhode Island students and parents. These events are no cost and open to the public. See a complete list of dates and times throughout the state.

Great event for High School Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, & their parents

• You need good credit to borrow
• You need to have borrowed to establish a credit history 
• You cannot borrow before age 18
• Your'e heading to college and need good credit to pay for tuition and other expenses

Which comes first, borrowing or good credit?

Having good credit is just as important to help ensure your stability and help you successfully do things such as rent an apartment, buy or lease a car, and even get a good job. Maintaining good credit is very important to your future and will afford you many opportunities that would otherwise be impossible. It can show stability, consistency, responsibility, and maturity – all of which are positive traits that can help you succeed in life. Below, are some helpful tips on building and managing a good credit profile.

Excuses, excuses. Preparing for college is a time-consuming task. Evidenced by the many online and other forms of checklists that have been published for this very purpose. I have prepared a different list. A list of excuses heard in my household that I thought might be helpful to share so you will be armed and ready for battle.

To increase the completion rate of critical college financial aid forms, particularly from high school seniors in historically underrepresented urban schools, the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) and its College Planning Center today launched a comprehensive grassroots campaign aimed at getting more financial aid to students interested in attending college.

Many college-bound students and their families have fallen for the dangerous myth: "I won't qualify for aid so I'm not going to apply." The reality is, everyone should file the FAFSA, even if they think they may not qualify. The FAFSA is absolutely free to fill out and it can give families money to help cover the rising cost of college. Below is a quick rundown of what you could be eligible for by filing the FAFSA.

Approximately 20 million students choose to attend a post-secondary institution every year.  Many students and their families struggle with where to start in the college planning process. Figuring out which schools might be a good fit, which career path to take, and how to pay for college are just a few of the many things that worry families. Rhode Island might be a small state, but it has a large amount of free resources available to help Rhode Islander's plan for college.

Students should be open-minded as they start their college searches and learn as much as possible about all types of colleges so they are making informed decisions about where to apply and what kind of schools are the best match for their personal goals. It's important for students to identify schools that are good matches both academically and financially. Colleges fairs are a great way to learn about a lot of campus cultures in a brief period of time, so they are definitely worth your time in the early stages of college planning.

For years, the RISLA College Planning Center has teamed up with the Pawtucket Red Sox to host one of the largest college fairs in all of New England! This year will be the 9th year that the CPC, the Pawtucket Red Sox, B101, and Coast 93.3 have worked together to host this event for college bound students and their families!

Mother nature thought that our April showers meant snow here in RI, but that won't get in the way of us helping you plan for college. Seniors have a lot on their plate this month. Top among their stresses: which school they are going to attend in the fall. Juniors, on the other hand, are starting to explore colleges and figuring out what they want in a school. Check out our college planing tips for April below!

Seniors

This is a big time of year for high school seniors! College decisions must be made! A big deciding factor for students when deciding which school to attend is how much each school awarded to you in financial aid. Comparing those award letters is never an easy task which is why the RISLA College Planning Center is here to help. Schedule an appointment with us to get help comparing your award letters!