The Financial Aid Handbook: Getting the Education You Want for the Price You Can Afford

In today's tough economy, a college degree is more important--and more expensive--than ever before. The Financial Aid Handbook is the definitive, one-stop guide to the college selection and payment process, covering everything from basic timelines and tuition costs to predicting your scholarship award from colleges and taking ownership of student debt after graduation.

Families and students will appreciate the straightforward language, engaging explanations, and hundreds of tips to maximize their financial aid--the scholarship funds that come from the colleges themselves. No other book on the market teaches students and parents how to find real, four-year scholarships...and how to land them. The Financial Aid Handbook is the only book families will need to find the 
right college at the right price.

The Financial Aid Handbook includes:

• The seven biggest myths about paying for college
• The ultimate guide to federal, state, and private student loans
• A step-by-step guide to completing the FAFSA and PROFILE
• How to predict scholarship dollars with the Merit Aid Profile, or MAP
• Profiles of selected schools with exceptional merit aid
• How to negotiate with the financial aid office.

Carol Stack is the former Director of Admissions at Macalester College and Augsburg College. For the past 15 years, Stack has worked as a principal at Hardwick-Day, an enrollment consulting firm that works with the admissions and financial aid offices of private colleges and universities. Through Hardwick-Day, she has consulted on financial aid policy at dozens of colleges, including Whittier, Grinnell, Mills, Randolph-Macon, and Xavier University.

Ruth Vedvik has held the position of Director of Admissions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ball State University, and Agnes Scott College. For the past 9 years, Vedvik has worked as a principal at Hardwick-Day, an enrollment consulting firm that works with the admissions and financial aid offices of private colleges and universities. Through Hardwick-Day, she has consulted on financial aid policy at dozens of colleges, including Whittier, Grinnell, Mills, Randolph-Macon, and Xavier University.