College Planning Tips for Seniors and Guardians�

Riverside Brookfield High School

(Presenter: Jim Franko)

Goals of Presentation

• What needs to be done and when it needs to be done
• Helpful resources for exploring cost
• Suggestions for reducing cost
• Evaluating educational quality
• Tips for getting the most out of a college education

Timeline

• September
• List of colleges and what is required to apply
• October
• Work on application
• FAFSA – Available October 1
• CSS Profile - Available October 1 – Northwestern University
• November
• First round of deadlines (UIUC, UIC, ISU -11/1, DePaul 11/15, Loyola 12/1)
• Scholarship money
• Materials deadline
• January/February
• Second round of deadlines (UIUC – 1/5, DePaul – 2/1, UIC – 2/1)

​

Timeline

• February – Applications for RB local scholarships available on RB website
• March – Deadline for RB local scholarship applications
• April – Compare financial aid awards and visit colleges.
• May 1^st – Reply to colleges with response by this date.
• Summer of 2027 – Still colleges accepting applications, Summer school class?

Deadlines

• When is the application due? Get materials in by any early deadlines.
• Application
• Personal Essay(s) if necessary
• Teacher Recommendation(s) if necessary
• ACT Scores – actstudent.org. Report all scores.
• SAT Scores – College Board
• Interview? Optional video supplement?
• Transcript
• FAFSA earlier better than later
• Deadline for a decision is May 1^st.

​

​

​

​

Evaluating Educational Quality

• Rankings?

​

*According to Daily Beast’s 2012“Most Rigorous Colleges” List

Evaluating Educational Quality

• 3,000 Four Year Colleges and Universities in US
• Top 10% in USNWR

Loyola

Marquette

Pitt

UIC

SLU

Lake Forest College

Beloit

Illinois Wesleyan

Iowa

IIT

Kansas

Dayton

DePaul

Kentucky

Missouri

Butler

Xavier

Evaluating Educational Quality

• Quality is difficult to define, but here are some other data to explore.
• CollegeResults.org

​

• Graduation and Retention Rates (collegenavigator.gov, collegeresults.org)
• Graduation (Within Six Years):
• U of I – 85%, ISU – 66%, NCC – 71%, DePaul - 70%, NIU – 50%, Stanford – 93%

​

• Retention (Return for Sophomore Year):

U of I – 93%, ISU – 80%, NCC – 77%, DePaul 84%, NIU – 65%, Stanford - 98%

​

Cost

• Net Cost vs. Published Cost
• Net Cost is the key.
• Net Cost determined by income and merit
• Good to have public schools on the list
• Net Price Averages*

(Cost of Attendance - Tuition, Fees, Room, Board,

Personal Expenses, Transportation)

4-year In-state Public: $21,050 (Published = $30,070)

4-year Private: $36,460 (Published = $64,550)

​

• Triton - $6,000

(*According to College Board, November 2025)

Cost

• Out-of-state public colleges can be cheaper than in-state public colleges.

Published Total Costs 2023-24 on College Navigator

Cost

​

• Cast a wide net. Apply to about five to seven schools.
• One or two in-state public schools
• Four or five private schools
• Which schools have more generous financial aid? (collegenavigator.gov)
• Net Price Calculators
• Private Scholarships – General vs Local
• RB Local Scholarship Page
• Fastweb.com, Scholarships.com, College Board Big Future

Cost – Net Price Calculator

Cost – Net Price

Cost – Net Price

Cost – College Navigator – Hope (MI)

Published Cost of Attendance: $58,210

Cost - Award Letters

• Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Example

Award Letter

“Negotiating” Price

• Leverage other offers.
• Be sincere.
• Use evidence.
• Change in circumstances
• May 1 is the deadline. Try not to rush on committing.

Cost – Tax Benefits

• American Opportunity Tax Credit
• Lifetime Learning Tax Credit
• Tuition and Fees Tax Deduction
• Student Loan Interest Deduction

Most Common Apps for RB

• Purdue
• SIUC
• UW-Madison
• WIU
• IU-Bloomington
• Bradley
• Elmhurst
• Northwestern
• Dominican
• Minnesota

​

​

• Triton
• UIUC
• UIC
• ISU
• NIU
• DePaul
• Loyola
• Iowa
• COD
• Marquette

​

​

Fit

• Certain programs that are necessary?
• Majors?
• Co-ops?
• Location?
• Philosophy of Education?
• Religious Orientation?
• Size?
• Setting?

​

Direct Admissions

• Common App and Niche.com
• Create an account
• Input information like GPA
• Notified in Common App account, Niche account, and by email
• Confirm application

Common Application

Application Pieces

• College’s Portal
• SchooLinks

​

College Admissions Officers

• Can be an advocate
• Reps at less selective schools tend to be more accessible
• Marquette University

Alternative Credit – AP, CLEP, Online

• AP Credit
• Marquette
• CLEP (College Level Examination Program)
• DePaul
• Community College (summers, online)
• Triton, COD, BYU Independent Study, Other Community Colleges
• MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)
• https://www.coursera.org/specializations/learn-spanish
• https://www.udacity.com

​

Helpful Resources

• College Board
• College Navigator
• College Results (collegeresults.org)
• RB Student Services
• FinAid.org
• College Admissions Officers
• College Financial Aid Officers
• College Raptor
• Niche.com
• Dream School by Jeff Selingo (List of Schools)

​

​

Tips for College*

• Consider working.
• Visit multiple classes during the first two weeks of classes.
• Visit all your professors during office hours at least once.
• Learn how to write well.
• Write papers in three sittings.
• Don’t succumb to the “Two Cultures” by focusing on either humanities or science. Become proficient in both.
• Study abroad – the more foreign, the better
• Get to know at least one professor well.
• Make your bed.
• Learn outside the classroom.

*Adapted from The Thinking Student’s Guide to College by Andrew Roberts

​

​

​

​

​

​

Thanks and Questions