Financial Aid Questions Remain Amid Acceptance Letter Excitement
EducationPlanner.org Helps Families Evaluate Financial Aid Offers
Harrisburg, PA (March 29, 2007) - Next week more than one million high school seniors will be sifting through their mail and email a little more closely looking for an acceptance letter from college. In addition to the pride and excitement that comes with the letter, there can be a lot of uncertainty as parents and students wonder how they will pay for the dream.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), the nation’s leading nonprofit student aid organization, has been helping students and families solve the financial aid puzzle for almost 45 years. PHEAA’s award-winning college planning website, www.EducationPlanner.org, can help students and families make sense of the financial aid process and award offers.
Shortly after sending acceptance letters, colleges send award notifications to students showing what funding is available to them through grants, loans, and other sources of funding. The Financial Aid Award Analyzer at EducationPlanner.org helps families make informed decisions by providing them the opportunity to compare different awards offered.
Users can enter the financial aid information in their award notices into the electronic worksheet and compare up to five different schools side-by-side to determine which institution has provided the best award package. There is also a free option to log in and save all the information for future use.
In addition to helping students and parents make sense of their financial aid, EducationPlanner.org breaks down the process of applying for aid into manageable tasks including: Preparing, Selecting, Applying, Deciding and Paying.