products & services

The College Authority works hands-on with families who want the most value from their education dollar. Our college funding services are designed for parents and students to assist with career choices, college selection and financial assistance.
Here is a complete list of services.

Student Positioning has two steps:

Step one provides the student access to an online aptitude session designed to confirm and/or focus a student’s career goals and subsequent major(s) to pursue.

Step two is a phone interview with one of our professional career counselors. The counselor will discuss with the student the realities of choosing the right college. This call will last from 45 minutes to an hour or more. At least one of the student’s parents must be in attendance to listen in and is encouraged to ask questions. This is a powerful tool to successfully match the student to the right college based on a set of scientific factors – SAT/ACT scores, high school GPA, the family’s finances, the student’s educational interest and the student’s general outlook on life. We will not choose the college for you but rather make the whole family aware of the right college(s) based on their circumstances.

Good student positioning results in:

• Students focused on a possible career path and what to do after graduation. On average, 1 in 4 students graduate in 4 years with most graduating in 5 years. Students are changing majors and/or colleges after enrolling which only adds to the costs and delays graduation. With better planning a family can beat this statistic.
  
• Selection of colleges that matches the student academically, socially and financially. We teach that the student makes the college; the college does not make the student. Using a proprietary methodology to apply a student’s personality, aspirations and expectations of college and the parent’s expectations of college to the college itself, the chances of a student graduating is increased.
  
• Realistic college application lists— Just as there are A, B, and C students, there are A, B, and C colleges looking for students. With over 2500 colleges in the nation, we guide students to choose colleges that meet their criteria and that they qualify for. Students are advised to apply to a minimum of six colleges.
  
• Realistic expectations of the college experience — We are a third party voice for or against parental college expectations, we are a third party voice for or against student college expectations, we manage the entire family’s expectations.
  
• Reductions of the overall college costs for the family — The percentage of students from our client base that graduate in four years is higher than the norm. The financial assistance for families employing Student Positioning is higher than those who do not.
  
• A successful college experience for the students — Choosing the right college creates student confidence, higher self esteem, higher retention of subject material, more time to explore extracurricular activities, more time for growth as a person, and family pride in an education dollar well spent.

Program

To ensure the greatest opportunities for success, families engaged in our program are supported as they are taken through the steps listed below:

1. College Tracking List (CTL) – a complete list of tasks and timeline for what the family and The College Authority will do individually or together throughout the junior and senior year.
• The CTL is a detailed list letting you know what we are doing and when. Dates note when we anticipate completion of each step. Provides the implementation of a forms tracking strategy.
2. Student Career Search – Access to an on-line aptitude/attitude session designed to confirm or focus a student’s career goals.
• The student career search is the first step in the Student Positioning Concept. We make available an aptitude test to search for possible career avenues for the student and therefore appropriate majors to pursue. This step can reduce the overall cost of a higher education by making a bachelor’s degree attainable in four years.
3. Student Positioning Session – An interactive telephone session with a professional counselor designed to help a family and student pick the right colleges.
• The student positioning phone call is the second step of the Student Positioning Concept. We search 4 year private and public schools because we believe that students need to know which schools meet their criteria and which schools they qualify for. Students are advised to apply to a minimum of 6 colleges.
4. Register to get the CSS Profile Form.
• This form must be submitted to certain but not all colleges for financial aid considerations. You must register to obtain the form or acquire the opportunity to do it online.
5. Complete the CSS Profile form.
• This application is completed online for the family. The CSS Profile is more complicated than the FAFSA and must be consistent with the FAFSA.
6. Complete college generated financial aid forms.
• Some schools have their own forms. These forms are just as important as the CSS Profile and FAFSA. This step does not include the individual college scholarship applications or admissions applications.
7. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Don’t minimize the importance of this form. According to the Department of Education, 90% of these forms are submitted with errors or inconsistencies. This form must be completed to be considered for all financial aid.
8. Confirm accuracy of the Student Aid Report (SAR)
• It is vital to check the results of the FAFSA for filing errors. Any necessary corrections are completed during this step.
9. Evaluate Award Letters and direct the appeal process.
• Some awards are good, some fair and some bad. We will identify the quality of your award and instruct you on how to begin the appeal process. We will write a letter to the financial aid office on your behalf if necessary and instruct you on how to help with a phone call or visit.
10. Counsel the family on loan and budget options.
• Private loans, public loans, alternative budget options both financial and non financial.
11. Provide complete customer service.
• Toll-free phone numbers and well-educated staff committed to your child’s education are available to advise your family on any situation during the college admissions and financial aid process.
12. Editorials mailed to your home.
• Each editorial provides knowledge that supplements the action steps completed by The College Authority so you know what we are doing and why throughout the entire process.

Service Packages

Gold Level Package– $1395
Includes items 1 through 12 only

Test Prep Courses – $200, SAT Prep – 3 practice tests with customized tutorials, web based; ACT Prep – 3 practice tests with customized tutorials, web based

Referral Program – Receive a $200 DISCOUNT off a Gold Package or Test Prep

Renewal Package – Annual renewal for FAFSA and CSS Profile forms processing– $250