| Useful Things to Know | |
| Using this Guide | p. 6 |
| Paying for College in the Year 2010 | p. 7 |
| The Big Picture | p. 8 |
| Trends in Higher Education | p. 9 |
| Common Myths & Misconceptions | p. 17 |
| Won't a Scholarship Replace My Money? | p. 17 |
| Is There a Special Scholarship for Me? | p. 18 |
| What About Unclaimed Scholarships? | p. 19 |
| Computerized Scholarship Searches | p. 19 |
| Income Shifting Seldom Pays | p. 21 |
| The Fundamentals of Financial Aid | |
| Definitions & Players | p. 23 |
| Short Definitions | p. 23 |
| The Players: Students, Parents, Colleges, Need Analysis Processors, and Financial Aid Administrators | p. 24 |
| The Concept of "Need" | p. 28 |
| The Mechanics of Application | p. 30 |
| How Much Will College Cost? | p. 31 |
| How Much Must We Pay? | p. 33 |
| The Federal Methodology | p. 34 |
| The Institutional Methodology | p. 35 |
| Which Form Should We File? | p. 37 |
| Where Do We Get Forms and What Do We Do with Them? | p. 38 |
| FAFSAs, State Aid Applications and Profile | |
| Tips for Filing a Mistake-Free Form | p. 40 |
| Building the Financial Aid Package | p. 45 |
| Comparing and Appealing Your Awards | p. 48 |
| Advanced Moves in Financial Aid | |
| Short-Range Planning: Tilting Things Your Way | p. ' |
| Reduce Your Expected Family Contribution | p. 50 |
| Reduce Your Reportable Income | p. 51 |
| Reduce Your Reportable Assets | p. 52 |
| Increase the Cost of Attendance | p. 56 |
| Obtain an Improved Aid Package | p. 57 |
| Careful College Application | p. 57 |
| Dialing for Dollars | p. 58 |
| Replace Your Money with Other People's Money | p. 58 |
| Lower the Cost of College | p. 60 |
| Pick a Lower-Priced School | p. 60 |
| Accelerate College | p. 63 |
| Become a Cyber Student | p. 65 |
| Improve Your Cash Flow | p. 66 |
| Participate in Commercial Tuition Payment Plans | p. 67 |
| Tap Your Home Equity | p. 61 |
| Borrow from a Commercial Loan Source | p. 68 |
| Deplete Your IRA, But Try Not To | p. 70 |
| Are You Credit-Worthy? | p. 71 |
| Stock Market Woes | p. 72 |
| Long-Range Planning: College is Years Away | p. 74 |
| How Much You Need to Save | p. 74 |
| Getting Good Financial Advice | p. 76 |
| Tax Planning vs. College Aid | p. 80 |
| Coverdell Education Savings Accounts | p. 81 |
| "Section 529" College Savings Plans | p. 81 |
| Choosing Investments-Risk and Reward | p. 86 |
| Sample Portfolios | p. 86 |
| CDs and T-bills | p. 87 |
| U.S. Savings Bonds | p. 87 |
| Mutual Funds | p. 88 |
| Zero Coupon Bonds | p. 90 |
| Variable Annuities | p. 90 |
| The Major Money Sources | |
| The Colleges | p. 91 |
| Financial Aid in the Admission Process | p. 91 |
| Twelve Innovative Payment Plans | p. 94 |
| Forty-two Innovative Aid Programs | p. 96 |
| The Rich Schools | p. 100 |
| Working with Financial Aid Administrators | p. 101 |
| Uncle Sam | p. 103 |
| Pell Grants | p. 106 |
| Federal Student Loans | p. 106 |
| Campus-Based Federal Student Aid: SEOGs, Work-Study, Perkins Loans, ACG/SMART Grants and TEACH Grants | p. 110 |
| Loan Repayment Options | p. 113 |
| AmeriCorps | p. 115 |
| What's New? | p. 116 |
| Tax Relief for Education Expenses | p. 118 |
| Tuition Tax Credits | p. 118 |
| Tax Deductions | p. 119 |
| The States | p. 121 |
| A Summary of State Programs | p. 122 |
| Innovative State Programs | p. 123 |
| State Standouts | p. 128 |
| Directory of State Higher Education Agencies | p. 130 |
| The Big Alternatives | |
| Letting the Boss Pay for It | p. 132 |
| Putting On the Uniform | p. 136 |
| Special Opportunities | |
| Private Sources with Few Strings | p. 144 |
| Money in Your Community | p. 146 |
| Are Your Parents Eligible? | p. 150 |
| Money From Your Affiliations | p. 153 |
| Money for Brains and Talent | p. 157 |
| Money for Athletes | p. 164 |
| Gender Equity and Title IX | p. 167 |
| Academic Eligibility and Academic Progress Rates (APRs) | p. 168 |
| Recruiting Violations | p. 170 |
| Commercial Scouting Services and Agents | p. 171 |
| The Pros and Cons of Exposure Services | p. 171 |
| Money for Health Careers | p. 173 |
| Federal Support for the Health Professions | p. 173 |
| Military Medical and Nursing Programs | p. 176 |
| Private Programs | p. 178 |
| Money for Other Career Interests | p. 180 |
| Money for Minorities and Women | p. 184 |
| The Latest Twists on Affirmative Action | p. 185 |
| Federal Assistance for Minorities | p. 187 |
| Private Assistance for Minorities | p. 188 |
| Private Assistance for Women | p. 191 |
| Special Situations: Non-Traditional Students | p. 192 |
| A Few Words About Graduate School | p. 195 |
| A Treasure Chest of Tips | p. 201 |
| TheFederal Methodology | p. 203 |
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