financial aid

Q. Family members want to help with tuition costs for my daughter, but we don’t want them to hurt chances for financial aid. What do we need to know?

Q. Two of my great nieces and nephews will be attending college next year. I have promised to pay their tuitions. Would it be best to make out the checks directly to the universities or put it in a special account? I would not want to jeopardize any scholarships or financial aid.

Q. I know I’m supposed to position my money long before we apply for financial aid. What moves should we consider making?

Q. I have grandchildren who will be entering college in the fall and I would like to be educated so I might be able to help them. What is the step-by-step process for applying for financial aid, asking for more aid after the initial offer and if needed, applying for loans? Are government loans better than private loans? Should we use a CPA for assistance or someone else? How can one find scholarships for special needs students, e.g. a hearing impaired child?

Q. I’ve heard that you should start planning for financial aid so you can move money around early and position it right. What moves should I make? My oldest is in 9th grade

Q. Can I negotiate with a financial aid office to get a better award for my student? I’m talking scholarships and grants, not loans.

Q. How much is too much for student loans? My daughter wants to study a field that I think will get her $45,000-$50,000 a year as a starting salary, and she’s trying to figure out how much she can afford to borrow. Otherwise she may go to community college instead.

Q. Would making my 18-year-old an independent person – instead of one of my dependents – help with financial aid for college?

Proposed state legislation would provide students and parents with a shopper's guide to college costs, available aid and determining how much debt will be left to pay after a degree is acquired.

While many are hailing the immigration tuition law as a great opportunity for those children of illegal immigrants in New Jersey, there are some who feel there is still more than needs to be done to help these students.