Prakash Padmanabhan

Cracking College Affordability Prakash Padmanabhan

At some point, all of us will find ourselves facing the challenge of understanding and navigating the labyrinth of college financing. It's a topic that is not very well understood by most people, unfamiliar to many and intimidating for almost all. "Cracking College Affordability" attempts to demystify this complex topic and make it easier to understand by starting from the fundamental building blocks, explaining each one of them and laying out how all of them fit together. Learn about topics such as the Common Data Set (CDS), federal (FAFSA) and institutional (CSS/PROFILE) needs-analysis methodologies, your finances and Expected Family Contribution (EFC), your need and how it can be met, significance of the base year, tax benefits, financial aid and understand how all of these different pieces of the puzzle come into play; to enable you to make thoughtful and well-informed decisions to give your child the best college education that they deserve. It is useful for any parent or student who wants to understand the college financing process.