Given today's hectic lifestyle, it is difficult to be an expert in everything.  With the cost of out-of-state public schools averaging almost $40,000/year and the cost of some private schools exceeding $70,000/year, parents and students are making a significant financial investment in college.  In fact, paying for college is one of the largest investments an individual will make next to the purchase of a home.  Using the services of independent education consultants such as the Collegiate Advisory Group, who are experts in navigating the college admissions and financial aid processes, can help parents and students ensure that they are making the most informed and cost effective college decision. 

Did you know that the average high school college counselor spends less than one hour with each student over the course of their four years in high school?  (Source: NACAC) Choosing the best fit college requires significant time and investigation to explore a student's interests and optimize opportunities for their future.  This is how independent college consultants can help.  We are experts in the field and dedicated to providing students and their parents with the time, resources, and support to understand and investigate the vast array of college choices to find the best fit for each student.  We also help reduce the stress of the college application process by working with students and creating a customized plan to guide them through every step of the process and ensure that all deadlines are met.

WHY WORK WITH THE COLLEGIATE ADVISORY GROUP?

By choosing the Collegiate Advisory Group, your student will be guided by knowledgeable and caring education consultants who have proven process and analytics to model GPA potential, have access to interest profiles, have an extensive list of schools that we have visited including our unique insights into these schools, are experienced project managers, and are knowledgeable of the financial aid process.  We strive to help each student reach his/her academic and education potential, and create a personalized approach to meet each student's needs.

We are avid users of technology and recognize the importance of communicating tasks and timelines to both students and their parents.  We use electronic forms to capture student information, conduct virtual meetings to accommodate student's hectic schedules, and summarize every meeting with a plan of action and next steps.  Parent "check-ins'' are established regularly to keep parents informed of the progress and decisions being made during student meetings.

We work with students of all abilities and truly believe their is a 'best fit' college for each student.  

The $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus package, called the CARES Act is now a law.  This has several features which that impact higher education: 

• Education Stabilization Fund. This provision appropriates more than $14 billion to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to "prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus." Funds may be used to defray expenses for IHEs, including lost revenue, technology costs associated with a transition to distance learning, and grants to students for food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care.
• Relaxation of rules for financial aid repayments. Four important provisions include: waiver of institutional requirements for the return of Title IV funds; waiver of student obligations to return Pell Grants and other grant assistance; cancellation of the obligation to repay Federal Direct Loans; and relaxation of leave of absence rules.
• Continued payment of federal work study (FWS) to students unable to work. IHEs are permitted to make FWS payments to students for the period of time during which the student is unable to work (up to one academic year) due to a qualifying emergency.
• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. IHEs are permitted to award emergency financial aid grants to the student for unexpected expenses caused by a qualifying emergency. 
• Temporary relief for student loan borrowers. Student loan repayments are suspended through September 30, 2020, with no accrual of interest. Excluded from a student's enrollment period limit would be any semester the student does not complete due to a qualifying emergency. 
• Pell Grant relief. Similarly, any semester a student does not complete due to a qualifying emergency shall be excluded from the student's Federal Pell Grant duration limit.
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).IHEs may exclude from the determination of whether the student is making SAP any attempted credits that were not completed.
• HBCU Capital Financing. The Act permits the deferment of repayments for certain loans to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
• Service obligation for teachers. The Act permits the Secretary of Education to modify the categories of extenuating circumstances for recipients of TEACH grants who are unable to fulfill their service obligation