Save Thousands on College without Need-Based Aid
Discover Colleges’ Hidden Scholarships.
Negotiate Bigger Discounts.
Beat the System.
Nearly every college has a system of hidden discounts and merit scholarships your kid can receive without qualifying for financial aid. In this course:
- Learn from the expert: New York Times money columnist Ron Lieber shares the playbook he’s built from years of research, reporting, and insider conversations with admissions leaders.
- Crack the code: Understand the expensive, complicated, and high-pressure system of paying for college — and how to work it to your family’s advantage.
- Open to all students: Merit scholarships aren’t just for perfect GPAs or star athletes. They’re for everyone.
- Maximize your savings: Use Ron’s actionable strategies. Families who know how the system works get the biggest savings.
Download Ron’s FREE Merit Aid College Checklist for high school seniors here!
Save time, reduce stress, and maximize your family’s financial returns.
Real Results: Merit Aid Course Success Stories
“Thank you! The most useful and practical advice we received as part of the college application process. I learned the ins and outs of the whole Merit Aid system (including how the schools use big data and the fact you need to work schools off one another). We wound up saving over $20k per year after taking the course.”
— New York parent
“Fabulous course! Saved us lots of $ and gave us clarity. Very helpful!”
— Florida parent
“I thought colleges had all the power in the application process. Your insights helped me increase the Merit Aid for my son by $20,000 over four years, in just a ten-minute phone call with the school. Pretty good return on investment!!”
— Connecticut parent
Here’s what you’ll get in the video course
Plus bonus materials
A PDF guide to the most important questions about saving on college.
More about Merit Aid
About Ron
Ron Lieber is the Your Money columnist for The New York Times, where his work has received the Gerald Loeb award – business journalism’s highest honor – three times. He is the author or co-author of three New York Times bestsellers, including “The Price You Pay for College” and “Taking Time Off,” a book about gap years.
Ron lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Jodi Kantor (a fellow New York Times reporter) and his two daughters. He received need-based aid in middle school and high school at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago and in college, at Amherst, where his mother flew out each year to appeal his family’s aid package. Ron speaks frequently to audiences of all sizes about what to pay for college and how the system got so complicated.
Unhappy Common App drop day to all who denigrate! They actually gave these buttons out at a conference I was at two years ago, without any evidence of ironic intent. To those of you starting in today, facing down the possibility of 15-20 applications with your kids (and that many essays and art supplements and who knows what else), I feel for you. The Common App organization is promising a "refreshed application experience" this year, which, I dunno, could spark joy. You never know. 😐 ... See MoreSee Less
This is one of the nicest bits of feedback I have ever received, from someone who benefited from my 1996 book, “Taking Time Off,” about gap years. He’s now using my book about college and merit scholarships, “The Price You Pay for College,” to help his own kids. I can’t promise that I’ll change all of your lives, but I’ve poured a ton of time and energy into making my course about merit aid and merit scholarships as useful as I can. The link for the course is in my bio. ... See MoreSee Less
NEW! (But not surprising if you've taken my merit aid course!!) Private colleges are now discounting tuition by a staggering 56.3 percent. And do you see how they use the word "discount" in trade publications that parents don't read? Check out that "Revenue Strategies" banner up top, too. People who work in higher ed use merit aid to boost revenue with the help of sophisticated algorithms. It seems counterintuitive, I know. But in my course I explain exactly how they do it, why it often works and how you can get on the high side of that 56.3 percent -- to the tune of $100,000 or more at many schools. See this link for more on the course: meritaidcourse.com ... See MoreSee Less