As we visit high schools and talk to both students and parents a common concern always arises. They want to know how they are going to afford college, or how much college is going to cost them. This, of course, isn’t a question we can answer for them on the spot, but there is general advice we do give.

The most important advice that many people ignore is to always ask. If you don’t think you can afford to go to a school, but you otherwise think it is a good fit, why don’t you examine the aid that they offer and see. It never hurts to ask. This advice goes for everything in the process. A recent article discusses how simply asking for fees to be waved can save you a significant amount of money in the college application process.

Schools might not give you the answer you want, but it never hurts to ask. And if you cast a wide enough net and you pursue all the scholarship and grant opportunities available to you, your likelihood of finding a college that is a great fit at a price you can afford goes way up. And the good thing is, you only need to find one.