Members Credit Union Launches a Free College Planning Site

Planning for college can be one of the most daunting tasks for High School Seniors and their parents. While nine out of ten parents expect their children to go to college, only four out of ten parents plan to pay for college. Many college applicants are first-generation college students with parents who didn’t have college financial aid experience and are more likely to let their child leave money on the table. In the 2018-2019 School Year, $2.6 Billion in free financial aid went unclaimed because High School Graduates did not fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). 

To help our members prepare for college, find the right school, and find financial aid to pay for school, MCU enlisted the help of Community America to develop a free college planning website called the College Roadmap.

MCU’s College Road Map will help you find the schools that match your interests and needs. Once you narrow down the list to your best matches, you can compare them to know the actual cost for you to attend. You can also use the cost and compare calculator to compare over 6,000 colleges and see the lists of scholarship awards and financial aid available at each school.

Since early preparation is critical in college preparation, there are checklists for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and undergrad students. These checklists help your college-bound student establish routines and find extracurricular activities that match their interests and build a strong resume for a college application, so when it’s time to apply, there are more options and scholarship opportunities.

One of the most useful tools on the College Roadmap site to help you find the money for school is the FAFSAchat, a personal guide that will help walk you through the process of filling out the FAFSA. Every year, about $46 billion is awarded from grants and scholarships. When you complete the FAFSA, you unlock the opportunity to receive funds provided by the US Department of Education and other scholarship programs.  

No matter if you are already in college and need to plan for the next steps or you’re a parent wanting to help their middle school student get off to the right start, MCU’s college road map can help you prepare for what’s next in the college journey. To begin your journey, visit memcu.collegeroadmap.com.