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Welcome to the CFS Client Care Center website.The CFS Client Care Center is a premier college admissions and financial aid service available exclusively through Collegiate Funding Solutions in collaboration with your financial advisor.The Client Care Center provides hands-on coaching, advice, support and guidance throughout the whole college: search, application, financial aid, forms, selection and acceptance process. Here are the steps for understanding the servicesand how they help parents and student achieve a best outcome and reduce out-of-pocket college costs. |
STEP 1. Watch Video
| Watch an overview of college admission, financial aid and the CFS Client Care Center services. |
STEP 2. Review Services
To review the Client Care Center services:- Click on each step in the process to see an expanded description and how the CFS Clent Care Center can help you achieve a best outcome during that particular stage of the college admissions and financial aid process
- Place your cursor over the services listed (for example "College Search") and a detailed description will appear
2.1 Identify and apply to prospective schools
| Challenges | Standard Client Care Center Service | Premier Client Care Center Service | Cost savings – specific examples* |
| Knowing which colleges will really want your student | College Search | Cost of one extra year of college due to, transfer = $16,000- $50,000+ | |
| Many students apply up to 10+ schools | |||
| Expensive and time consuming. | |||
| Average school app exceeds $50 | Personality Profile and Majors/Career Search | Loss of one productive year cannot be quantified by money alone | |
| Average campus visit - $100 | |||
| Applying to college with little knowledge of cost or financial aid | |||
| Test Preparation Service | By improving test scores, the student improves their chances for admission and merit awards |
2.2: Apply for financial aid
| Challenges | Standard Client Care Center Service | Premier Client Care Center Service | Cost savings – specific examples* |
| Unlike the purchase of a product or service, parents won't know how much the bill is until three months after they've sent in the NON-refundable deposit | Personal Financial Aid Counseling | Personal Financial Aid Counseling | $5,000-$15,000 |
| Financial aid system and process often counterintuitive, time consuming, difficult and unfair | Secure Student Financial Aid Website | Secure Student Financial Aid Website | No time lost searching for financial information |
| Some families may be required to complete up to 7 forms NOT including federal verification form and submitting of federal tax returns and W-2's | Student Data Reviewed for Accuracy | Student Data Reviewed for Accuracy | $3,000-$50,000 |
| Up to 30 steps in the process | Financial Aid Requirements for Each College | Financial Aid Requirements for Each College | No delays means receiving first come first served funds $10,500+ |
| Errors are costly | Complete and File the FAFSA | Complete and File the FAFSA | All need based aid and sometimes merit aid $34,000 |
| Forms are complex and confusing | |||
| Knowing what information to provide the financial aid department | |||
| Organizing and satisfying each schools requirements and meeting deadlines | Complete and File the CSS/Profile® Application | Complete and File the CSS/Profile® Application | All need based aid and sometimes merit aid $34,000 |
| Parents spend hours completing just the FAFSA form | Assistance With School Specific Financial Aid Forms | Assistance With School Specific Financial Aid Forms | |
| Very stressful |
2.3: Analyze financial aid offers
| Challenges | Standard Client Care Center Service | Premier Client Care Center Service | Cost savings – specific examples* |
Are they fair? |
Evaluate Financial Aid Offers | Evaluate Financial Aid Offers | |
What is actual cost to the parents and the student? |
Coaching to Improve Financial Aid Offers | Coaching to Improve Financial Aid Offers | $3,000-$15,000 average |
| What recourse is there? | Financial Aid Leveraging** | Financial Aid Leveraging | $7,000 average |
| Appeal Financial Aid Awards | Appeal Financial Aid Awards | Can exceed $18,000 |
2.4: Choose school and accept award
2.5: Loan for covering shortfalls
| Challenges | Standard Client Care Center Service | Premier Client Care Center Service | Cost savings – specific examples* |
| Knowing from whom to borrow, how much and at what terms | Evaluate College Loans | Evaluate College Loans | Save between $9,000 & $98,000 on a combined 4 year college loan of $100,000 (assuming gov't loans vs private loan) |
Introducing a new service: Premier Plus - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
Premier Plus is the Premier service level with College Admissions Accountability Coaching included. This is an excellent solution for parents with a college bound student in situations where:
- The student/parents are somewhat overwhelmed or intimidated by the college admissions process
- The parents believe their child would benefit from one-on-one help
- The student may at times tend to procrastinate
- The student/parents may experience frustration and undue stress during the college search and admissions process
The benefits of an admissions coach appeals to many parents. Coaches don’t do the work for the student; the student and coach collaborate to develop a schedule of required action items and the student willingly and enthusiastically completes all the necessary action items. This results in a timely completion of career assessments and college searches and typically leads to actual applications being completed ahead of schedule and with reduced tension, stress and frustration for parent and child.
The student takes ownership and control of the process for reasons that are important to them. This, combined with the coach being permitted by the child to hold them accountable for the completion of milestones, makes for a much smoother application experience. Regular communication with the parents apprises them of the status of action items. With College Admissions Accountability Coaching, there is no need for the student to feel undue pressure or frustration and stress is greatly reduced.
Not only is the student coached through career assessments and finding colleges that are likely to be a good academic, social and financial match, but they are also coached on:
- Contacting colleges
- Scheduling visits or connecting with students
- Registering for the Common Application or XAP
- Choosing and scheduling the right standardized test at the best time for them
- Researching and selecting essay topics, writing drafts and having them critiqued
- Securing letters of recommendation from the teachers that college admissions will respect
- Preparing for interviews
- Managing the many applications students have to apply to if they want to be accepted to the right college for the right reasons at the right price
- Meeting with their guidance counselor and following up on transcripts, midyear reports, etc.
- Evaluating the college decision
- And more!
The Premier PLUS service ensures that your client’s student will manage the process in a way that will yield a great outcome for the family and attract other families to your business!
STEP 3. Review FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions: (Click on a question below to view the answer)
1. Why should we enroll with the Client Care Center?
Short of buying a home, the investment many parents make towards their children's college educations will be the largest they make in their lives. As long as you have a strategy to pay for college and control what you can control, you have a high probability of success.
2. Why should I pay for the client care center services when my student goes to a school with a guidance counselor that helps them do the same things?
Many people are expecting the guidance office to do all of the things that the Client Care Center does. However, before assuming they will, ask your child's guidance counselor if:
- They are going to help the student decide which careers they are best suited for
- They are going to recommend which standardized test is best for your child; the SAT or the ACT?
- They are going to coach them through the test prep courses
- They are going to work on a college list that takes into consideration the way the student learns and his or her personality
- They are going to find research colleges that offer majors of interest that will lead to employment
- They are going to educate you on acceptable graduation and retention rates
- They are going to tell you, on balance, which colleges or universities will give your child the best educational value
- They are going to find the best academic, social and financial fit
- They know which colleges have an adequate number of corporations recruiting graduates
- They know which colleges have large numbers of graduates that are accepted to medical/law school
- They are going to help your student get great letters of recommendations from the right people
- They are going to coach your child on selecting their essay topics
- They are going to direct them to get essay critiques of their final essay drafts
- They are going to help them gather, organize and complete the financial aid applications
- They are going to advise you on how to present your family and financial information so you don't lose out on possible financial aid
- They are going to follow up on the FAFSA
- They are going to make sure your tax returns are submitted to the college
- They are going to evaluate each offer of admission's merit and need based financial aid awards for fairness
- They are going to be your advocate when something goes wrong (and something always goes wrong)
- They are going to help you appeal a bad financial aid decision
- They are going to help you leverage one financial aid award to get a better one at the college your child really wants to attend
2.1. Won't our "free" school guidance counselor help our family achive the same outcome and peace of mind as this "fee" service?
Let’s start with the core issue: Guidance counselors are completely overloaded. And all schools have guidance counselors but they can't do the same things as a private counselor. During the academic year, guidance counselors spend, on average only 35 minutes with a college bound student. The recommended ratio is 250 to 1, but only four states (Louisiana, New Hampshire, Vermont and Wyoming) actually meet this guideline.
According to a report recently released by the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center, the national average ratio of counselors to students is 467 to 1 and the American School Counselor Association says it's much higher in states like California (1,000 to 1).
When most people think of guidance counselors, they probably think of helping students get ready for college. In reality, however, only 22.8% of public school counselors’ time is spent on post-secondary admission counseling.
It’s hard to believe that less than a quarter of a full-time guidance counselor’s time is enough to help 500 or so students and families climb the mountain of post-secondary planning, including choosing programs, applying to schools, filling out college applications, and obtaining financial aid. Ironically, the need for some kind of post-secondary training continues to grow.
Public school counselors only spend 20.2% of their time on “personal-needs counseling.” That is the ‘counseling’ part of guidance, or probably the kind of work that inspired many counselors to choose their profession in the first place. It includes building trusting relationships, discussing life, likes/dislikes, problems at home or with peers, how to stay motivated, problem solving skills, etc.
According to the report, public school counselors spend 24.8% of their time scheduling students for classes. Presumably this includes resolving scheduling conflicts, making sure students are taking the classes they need, and ensuring juniors and seniors are on track for graduation. These are obviously important tasks, elements of which require thoughtful consideration of students’ interests, college plans, and career aspirations – exactly the kinds of things that guidance counselors are trained to do.
What most people probably don’t realize is how much time (14.8%) public school guidance counselors spend administering academic tests like Statewide Testing for Educational Progress, advanced placement, and other tests used by local school districts to assess interim academic progress. When the standardized testing requirements of No Child Left Behind came along, they didn’t come with the funding necessary to actually administer all those tests. The job fell to guidance counselors (and administrators) because there was no one else to do it.
The remaining 10% of guidance counselors’ time is spent on teaching (4.5%) and other non-guidance activities (5.0%).
John Boshoven, a director of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, says the study only confirmed what counselors already know: Budget cuts are forcing them to spend more time on administrative tasks and less time with students. "Our caseloads are large and in many cases they're getting larger," says Boshoven, a counselor at Community High School in Ann Arbor, Mich. In most large public high schools, he says, counselors spend only 10 percent of their time counseling students about college.
Four years of college at private colleges can cost over $200,000. Next to a house, college is the most expensive purchase most people will make during their lifetime.
Despite those costs, many students choose a college without adequate investigation into what would be the best college for that student.
As a result one out of three college students leave the college where they started and five out of ten require five or more years to earn their degree. With thousands of choices, it can be difficult to find the right college for any student.
Hiring a college consultant to provide college admissions counseling and help with navigating the college process can help students avoid these costly mistakes by finding the right college the first time.
For many students the search to find the right college often creates stress for both the student and their parents. The student is trying to balance the college search with homework, extracurricular activities, friendships and just being a teenager. Finding the right balance can be difficult.
At the same time, parents worry about ensuring the best future for their child and put additional pressure on the student when they least need it.
Working with a college consultant can relieve some of that pressure. A good college consultant can take a step back and help the student address those issues related to the college search process without being a nagging parent. Parents are left to provide the nurturing they do best.
Finally, when it comes to financial aid, author Lynn O'Shaughnessy, contributor to such publications as BusinessWeek, USA Today, Money Magazine, The New York Times,and Kiplinger says, "the financial advice that many high school counselors dispense focuses a great deal on meeting deadlines. They tell families when to file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and complete the PROFILE application if their teenagers will be applying to private schools. Beyond advising parents on how and when to fill out those two documents, high school counselors tend to tell kids to look for private scholarships to shrink college costs. Strangely enough, many counselors don’t seem to realize that private scholarships are almost always a puny source of cash. The average award is less than $2,000.
The mother lode of cash comes from the colleges and universities themselves. The trick is positioning your child to capture some of this institutional money. And this is where counselors tend to scratch their heads. Again, this is where the private counselor can help.
What do you do if the counselor at your child’s high school is inadequate? You find a private college counselor.
According to a report recently released by the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center, the national average ratio of counselors to students is 467 to 1 and the American School Counselor Association says it's much higher in states like California (1,000 to 1).
When most people think of guidance counselors, they probably think of helping students get ready for college. In reality, however, only 22.8% of public school counselors’ time is spent on post-secondary admission counseling.
It’s hard to believe that less than a quarter of a full-time guidance counselor’s time is enough to help 500 or so students and families climb the mountain of post-secondary planning, including choosing programs, applying to schools, filling out college applications, and obtaining financial aid. Ironically, the need for some kind of post-secondary training continues to grow.
Public school counselors only spend 20.2% of their time on “personal-needs counseling.” That is the ‘counseling’ part of guidance, or probably the kind of work that inspired many counselors to choose their profession in the first place. It includes building trusting relationships, discussing life, likes/dislikes, problems at home or with peers, how to stay motivated, problem solving skills, etc.
According to the report, public school counselors spend 24.8% of their time scheduling students for classes. Presumably this includes resolving scheduling conflicts, making sure students are taking the classes they need, and ensuring juniors and seniors are on track for graduation. These are obviously important tasks, elements of which require thoughtful consideration of students’ interests, college plans, and career aspirations – exactly the kinds of things that guidance counselors are trained to do.
What most people probably don’t realize is how much time (14.8%) public school guidance counselors spend administering academic tests like Statewide Testing for Educational Progress, advanced placement, and other tests used by local school districts to assess interim academic progress. When the standardized testing requirements of No Child Left Behind came along, they didn’t come with the funding necessary to actually administer all those tests. The job fell to guidance counselors (and administrators) because there was no one else to do it.
The remaining 10% of guidance counselors’ time is spent on teaching (4.5%) and other non-guidance activities (5.0%).
John Boshoven, a director of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, says the study only confirmed what counselors already know: Budget cuts are forcing them to spend more time on administrative tasks and less time with students. "Our caseloads are large and in many cases they're getting larger," says Boshoven, a counselor at Community High School in Ann Arbor, Mich. In most large public high schools, he says, counselors spend only 10 percent of their time counseling students about college.
Four years of college at private colleges can cost over $200,000. Next to a house, college is the most expensive purchase most people will make during their lifetime.
Despite those costs, many students choose a college without adequate investigation into what would be the best college for that student.
As a result one out of three college students leave the college where they started and five out of ten require five or more years to earn their degree. With thousands of choices, it can be difficult to find the right college for any student.
Hiring a college consultant to provide college admissions counseling and help with navigating the college process can help students avoid these costly mistakes by finding the right college the first time.
For many students the search to find the right college often creates stress for both the student and their parents. The student is trying to balance the college search with homework, extracurricular activities, friendships and just being a teenager. Finding the right balance can be difficult.
At the same time, parents worry about ensuring the best future for their child and put additional pressure on the student when they least need it.
Working with a college consultant can relieve some of that pressure. A good college consultant can take a step back and help the student address those issues related to the college search process without being a nagging parent. Parents are left to provide the nurturing they do best.
Finally, when it comes to financial aid, author Lynn O'Shaughnessy, contributor to such publications as BusinessWeek, USA Today, Money Magazine, The New York Times,and Kiplinger says, "the financial advice that many high school counselors dispense focuses a great deal on meeting deadlines. They tell families when to file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and complete the PROFILE application if their teenagers will be applying to private schools. Beyond advising parents on how and when to fill out those two documents, high school counselors tend to tell kids to look for private scholarships to shrink college costs. Strangely enough, many counselors don’t seem to realize that private scholarships are almost always a puny source of cash. The average award is less than $2,000.
The mother lode of cash comes from the colleges and universities themselves. The trick is positioning your child to capture some of this institutional money. And this is where counselors tend to scratch their heads. Again, this is where the private counselor can help.
What do you do if the counselor at your child’s high school is inadequate? You find a private college counselor.
3. I make too much money and won't qualify for financial aid. Can the Client Care Center help?
Many families with six figure incomes are surprised to learn they too can qualify for financial aid. The financial aid office at Dartmouth College, and anyone associated with financial aid will tell you that every family, regardless of income, should apply. In addition merit based scholarships and grants that are given out independent of financial status are often contingent on filing financial aid forms. Likewise with the Stafford and PLUS loan programs which are often excellent loan strategies for the more affluent clients.
4. What is considered a successful outcome for the family?
A successful outcome consists of a financial aid award comprised mostly of free money versus loans.
5. Can you guarantee that my student will receive financial aid?
It is unethical to promote these kinds of guarantees, as it is impossible to know what a college will offer a student. The best we can offer is to use our many years of experience and expertise to ensure that the financial aid process is accurately and timely completed in order to maximize the student's aid eligibility.
6. Couldn't we just do all of this ourselves?
Absolutely. Just so long as you're willing to become an expert on the admissions process and it's impact on financial aid, as well as the thousands of pages of rules and regulations required to take full advantage of the process. Each family is unique and it takes an experienced financial aid specialist to know how to advise the family.
7. Why do high schools and colleges discourage parents from paying someone to fill out a free form, such as the FAFSA?
There are several reasons. First, there is no charge for completing the FAFSA. The idea that you shouldn't pay someone to complete the FAFSA for you came from companies that preyed on unsuspecting parents with guarantees of free money. These are the 'scholarship scams' that you've been warned about. No one can promise you that your client's student will be guaranteed of anything. We agree that these scholarship scams and companies that offer free money for a fee is a complete waste of money and a rip-off.
8. I've seen posters at my high school that reads '8 easy steps to get financial aid'. Why do they say that if it isn't true?
Ask any parent who has gone through the process of applying for financial aid and paying the rest with loans or income and assets will likely tell you that applying for free money is anything but easy.
Something that isn't addressed by guidance counselors and financial aid directors is that there is no charge to file your own taxes. You can fill out the 1040 for free. However, many taxpayers choose to purchase tax return software, hire a tax service or accountant/CPA. Why is that? Because the tax laws are confusing and it's to your benefit to get professional help so you don't pay a penny more in taxes than you have to. Same idea with admissions and financial aid.
Something that isn't addressed by guidance counselors and financial aid directors is that there is no charge to file your own taxes. You can fill out the 1040 for free. However, many taxpayers choose to purchase tax return software, hire a tax service or accountant/CPA. Why is that? Because the tax laws are confusing and it's to your benefit to get professional help so you don't pay a penny more in taxes than you have to. Same idea with admissions and financial aid.
9. Can't the colleges help my family?
The smaller colleges are more likely to help with the forms than the big universities. If your clients go that route, in essence, they are showing the school all of their cards, which could cost the family a lot of money.
Look at it from this perspective: colleges can't serve two masters. They're looking to protect their interest's first and help the family second. To maximize the financial aid potential at any college, you need to know what they know while telling them as little as possible.
Look at it from this perspective: colleges can't serve two masters. They're looking to protect their interest's first and help the family second. To maximize the financial aid potential at any college, you need to know what they know while telling them as little as possible.
10. How does the CFS Client Care Center help?
Parents today are really busy. We act as their personal financial aid advocate or if you wish counselor, as well as administrator of all of the paperwork involved. The current FAFSA has 202 entries, while the federal 1040 has a mere 76 by comparison. However, the CFS Client Care Center is not about filling in forms. It's about the entire financial aid process which includes some key elements: making sure the family’s financial data is presented in the best possible light, that all of their information is consistent so as not to draw questions that they may not be prepared to answer in a way that is not in their best interest, updating their tax information, evaluating their student's financial aid awards for fairness and advising them what to do if the award is less than expected.
11. What are some of the problems that parents experience?
Like anything else, there can be difficulties. The CFS Client Care Center is intended for the active parent who doesn't have time to squeeze one more thing into their already hectic schedule. Problems that parents encounter are data mismatches, errors on forms, including financial information that should have been left out, etc. Our Client Care Center professionals have years of experience and are experts at dealing with the many issues and problems so that your clients don't have to spend hours figuring out what went wrong.
12. I've heard colleges will negotiate or give discounts on tuition. Is this true?
Colleges will deny that they "negotiate" with parents, but the fact is that if the school wants your student, they may sweeten their initial aid offer during the appeals process. Odds of receiving a preferential financial aid award are improved if the school really wants the student because of a special skill, talent or scholastic achievement.
13. How does the CFS Client Care Center interface with us?
Clients are provided their own secure, web-based interface. All of the information that will be used to complete their student's forms is available to them 24/7.
For each of the student's colleges, we will advise the family of any additional requirements and forms, assist with the Early Decision/Early Action process, as well as their deadlines, etc.
We follow up with the family if there are steps that are required before we can proceed with the financial aid process, first by email, then by telephone.
The family is kept appraised of tasks completed on their behalf and copies of all forms submitted.
The Client Care Center is available to assist the family with questions and concerns, and we make it a point to return phone calls and emails.
For each of the student's colleges, we will advise the family of any additional requirements and forms, assist with the Early Decision/Early Action process, as well as their deadlines, etc.
We follow up with the family if there are steps that are required before we can proceed with the financial aid process, first by email, then by telephone.
The family is kept appraised of tasks completed on their behalf and copies of all forms submitted.
The Client Care Center is available to assist the family with questions and concerns, and we make it a point to return phone calls and emails.
14. How long does the service last?
The service begins when the student is enrolled with the Client Care Center until the time they enter college.
15. Is there a discount for additional children in the family?
The short answer is no. The work for each student in the family is unique to them and so the work can't be duplicated. We have priced our services so as to be affordable to as many families as possible while maintaining the highest standard of client care.
16. Do we have to have use the service through the college years?
Since the student has to reapply for financial aid each year that they are in school, we highly recommended that the family continue with the Client Care Center to ensure that their aid is properly renewed. Rules, regulations, policies, and even the forms change each year.
STEP 4. Contact your advisor for next steps
Some loans are more advantageous than others. We evaluate your loan options and create a responsible borrowing plan/repayment schedule that eliminates the debt efficiently over time in a way that works for you.
The financial aid process doesn't often take into consideration special family circumstances. Even if our college funding strategy is followed, a more aggressive approach may be required. Should the family need an in-depth appeals campaign, recommendations will be made at that time and may include the writing of letters to be signed by the parents.
Colleges can often be urged to improve an aid offer if it's compared to a better award package from a competitive school. We'll recommend which colleges a student should apply to in order to best leverage them against their top school choices.
Colleges often deliberately offer the least amount of aid to attract your student. We provide professional advice on how to request a better award.
The best looking offer may not be your best deal. We evaluate each award for fairness and let families know if they should accept it, appeal it, or use it to leverage against other financial aid offers.
Some colleges require additional paper forms that must be hand-written and signed. We provide personal assistance and support on the completion of these forms.
We'll complete and files the CSS/Profile application, which in addition to the FAFSA is required by many of the most competitive colleges. This application is more detailed and exacting than the FAFSA. Schools requiring the Profile typically offer more aid. Therefore, it's crucial that it be completed accurately and on time.
We'll complete and file the FAFSA, required by almost all schools, which saves hours of time and potentially costly mistakes that end up costing students thousands of dollars in missed aid.
The Client Care Center keeps parents informed well in advance of the specific requirements for each college, as well as a completion timeline. Missed deadlines, especially for first-year applicants, can be very expensive in lost aid and can even impact subsequent years. We make sure that all steps are completed accurately and on time.
Financial aid applications are much more complicated than tax forms, and simple errors can cost thousands in lost financial aid. The Client Care Center reviews each student's record for inconsistencies and common mistakes to ensure accuracy and completeness.
The Client Care Center provides each family with secure 24/7 web-based access to all of the information that is used to file their student's forms. Parents are able to update and amend the student's record as needed, and add or delete colleges at their own convenience.
We'll provide expert guidance throughout the entire financial aid process. We have 15 years of experience with the ever-changing rules, regulations, and forms and how colleges award grants and scholarships in order to help increase a student's eligibility for financial aid.
When parents see the requirements for the scholarships at the colleges their child is interested in, they know if their student qualifies or not. Because standardized test scores play a major role in the student being offered merit scholarships, taking a test prep course can put the student "in the money". Through our Bridges Transitions program, students can improve their test scores using testGEAR®. testGEAR® gives students the practice they need to reach their full potential on college entrance exams like the SAT®, PSAT and ACT®. This online learning system adapts to each student's needs by targeting their weaknesses and helping them to build necessary skills. By improving test scores, the student improves their chances for admission and merit awards that can total up to $25,000 or more per college.
Your child has their own unique personality and so does each college and university. The challenge of finding the right college fit(s) is to identify the personality characteristics that compliment each other. Our Client Care Center can recommend specific colleges and universities that offer a complementary fit for your student, based on a Personality Profile and Careers Search.
Getting accepted at a prestigious private college or well-known state university doesn't always mean a successful college experience. A full scholarship is meaningless if your student decides they have to transfer to another college. Our Client Care Center offers a college-matching program that will provide a list of colleges likely to offer preferential aid packages because the student is a good match for the college. This increases the probability your child will graduate in only four years with a productive and worthwhile degree.