SC, Boston University and FAFSA: What Changed
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- in College Pete
If you’ve been following for me for awhile, you know that the rules of college admissions and financial aid keep changing…often at the same time.
And while each new announcement may seem like just another headline, some of these changes can have a very real impact on where your student applies, what you pay and what your family should do next.
Here are three developments families should have on their radar as students head back to school.
USC has officially added Early Decision.
Beginning with Fall 2027 applicants, students can now apply to USC through binding Early Decision or nonbinding Early Action. Both have a November 1 deadline, and both include automatic consideration for USC merit scholarships. USC joins a growing list of schools making this change, including University of Florida and Florida State University.
Now here’s the really important part:
This isn’t simply an admissions decision. It’s a financial decision, too.
Early Decision means committing to attend if admitted. So before a student decides USC is their unquestioned first choice, the family needs to have a pretty good idea of what USC is likely to COST them over four years.
Boston University may cost FAR less than its sticker price suggests.
Under the new BU Promise, eligible first-year domestic students from families earning less than $200,000, with typical assets, may receive full tuition plus additional assistance.
Families earning $75,000 or less may pay nothing. Need-based financial aid packages will no longer include loans, and BU scholarship assistance is guaranteed to increase as tuition increases.
This is exactly why I tell families not to shop for colleges by sticker price.
College pricing is a little like buying an airline ticket: two families can end up at the same destination while paying VERY different prices to get there.
The lesson?
Do not eliminate a college based on its published price until you understand how that college is likely to price YOUR family.
Testing for the 2027–28 FAFSA is already being tested with real families.
The first phase of testing has gone relatively smoothly, with no major system blockers reported. Broader beta access is expected in September, followed by general availability by October 1.
That’s encouraging.
But Class of 2027 families still have some homework to do now.
Make sure the student and every required contributor can access their StudentAid.gov accounts BEFORE FAFSA season arrives.
October is not the time to discover that someone can’t remember a password or has an identity-verification problem.
Now, these three announcements may seem completely unrelated.
They aren’t.
One college changes how students apply.
Another changes how families pay.
Meanwhile, the federal government changes when families begin the financial aid process.
Each change can affect what your family should do next.
And THAT is why college planning cannot simply be reduced to a checklist. Nor should admissions and financial aid be treated as two separate conversations.
They are interconnected.
The college where your student can get admitted is important. The college where your student can thrive is important.
But the college your family can actually AFFORD matters, too.
The rules will continue to change. Your family needs a framework for making smart decisions even when they do.
That is exactly why we wrote The Ultimate College Planning Playbook.
It brings together what we have learned from nearly 20 years of helping families navigate college admissions, financial aid, scholarships and the TRUE cost of college.
Not so you can obsess over every headline or try to do everything at once.
But so you can understand what matters, what doesn’t…and what to do next.
Learn more about The Ultimate College Planning Playbook.
