Congratulations Students on your Binghamton Black Bears Academic Program recognition! Your hard work has paid off!
Parents - you deserve recognition as well for supporting and motivating your students. If planning for college expenses is on your financial "To Do" list, please continue reading below.
Elementary or Middle School is not too early to start planning and we have the tools and resources that can help. If there are older siblings knocking on the college doorstep in the next year or two, our late-stage college planning services may also be particularly useful.
Knowing Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the Key!
The first step in a sound college funding plan is an early understanding of your EFC or Expected Family Contribution. This is the formula based amount that parents and students are reasonably expected to pay each year towards their college costs. The EFC along with a college's "net price" will determine whether and how much "need based" financial aid you may qualify for and what your family will actually need to plan for each year to pay for college.
It is never to early to estimate your EFC. If you assume your elementary or middle school student is going to college next year and estimating your EFC shows that you may qualify for need based aid, chances are that you may also qualify for aid when they are ready for college. An understanding of where you stand in the financial aid system is important in deciding where and how to save for college so as not to significantly hurt your chances of qualifying for financial aid down the road.
As a Black Bears Academic Program participant, we would like to offer your family a free EFC estimate. Our college planning specialist, Brianna Sternkopf, will walk you through your family's EFC calculation over a Zoom meeting. Complete the form below for more information on this and other offers for Black Bears Academic Program participants.
Visit our College Planning page!
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