We all know that college is a significant expense for students and their families. But there are so many action steps that students can take, starting as early as middle school, to help them reduce their postsecondary costs and make the best financial decision for themselves and their family. Within this MassEdCO Fall Forum, an expert panel walk through the college planning process from middle school through college graduation and touch on the critical decision points for students and how to navigate them wisely. Panelists discuss using career aspirations to help inform college selection, which data is truly important in the college search, key programs that lower college costs, navigating college spending and budgeting, loans, and so much more. Panelists include Mark Bilotta, CEO of MassEdCO, Apelila Joseph, MEFA Pathway Program Manager, Ebony Marsala, Director of Financial Aid at Boston College, Tim Poynton, Associate Professor at UMass Boston, and Bill Smith, Assistant Vice President of Student Financial Assistance at Stonehill College.

As the Massachusetts prepaid tuition program, the U.Plan offers a way to save for college while protecting yourself from rising costs by locking in today's tuition and mandatory fee costs at a network of colleges and universities in Massachusetts. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains how the U.Plan works, how the money is invested, and how you can get started saving for college today!

Did you know that friends and family members can contribute directly to your college savings account? With more money in the account to invest and earn returns, your savings have the potential to grow faster to help you reach your goals. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains how you can set up gifting for the U.Fund College Investing Plan and the U.Plan Prepaid Tuition Program.

Even if you understand the importance of saving for college, it can be challenging to start the process. And many people fear that if they can't pay for all of college with savings, it's not worth it to try. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains why saving is important, how the cost of college might not be as high as you think, how savings can reduce the need to borrow, and why saving for college sends a message to a child.

Any way that you can save for college is a good way, but 529 plans were specifically created to save for college and have tax advantages. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains how to set up a 529 account, how the money is invested, where the funds can be used, and which expenses the funds cover.

In this video tutorial, you'll be walked through the steps of setting up automatic deposits for the MEFA U.Plan Prepaid Tuition Program. If you're already saving in the MEFA U.Plan, setting up automatic deposits means you don’t have to worry about remembering to make a contribution.

Este seminario web, presentado en español por Carmen Pineda, de MassEdCO, es para padres de niños de todas las edades, y explica información y recursos que las familias pueden utilizar para iniciar un plan de ahorro para la universidad.

A maturity year is a year you’ll be able to use your U.Plan savings to pay for college. You can select multiple maturity years to reflect the multiple years your child will be in college.

In this video tutorial, you'll be walked through the steps of setting up an online account for the MEFA U.Plan Prepaid Tuition Program. If you're already saving in the MEFA U.Plan, creating an online account will make saving for college quicker, easier, and more convenient.

Wondering how to start saving in the U.Plan Prepaid Tuition Program? In this instructional video, we walk you through each step of the process, including creating an online account, choosing your maturity years, and setting up monthly contributions. Get started today!