Learn about features available for students in grades 6-8 in MEFA Pathway, the importance of early exploration & discovery, and how this builds a strong foundation that helps students in the transition to high school.

As the Massachusetts 529 college savings plan, the U.Fund offers affordability, flexibility, and powerful tax advantages. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains how the U.Fund works, how the money is invested, and which expenses the funds cover.

ABLE Savings Plans are designed to help individuals with disabilities save for short and long-term disability expenses, and there are additional plan benefits to help account owners save even more. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains what you need to know about the ABLE to Work Act and the Saver’s Credit and how these can help boost your savings.

MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning and Content Creation Jonathan Hughes explains how the Attainable^® Saving's Plan works, how much individuals can save, and what constitutes a qualified expense.

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.

Learn how MEFA Pathway, MEFA’s free college and career planning portal, can help students find available scholarships, build a list of scholarships, and manage deadlines and awards. Also learn how to add Local Scholarships to the Counselor Portal for students to view and apply.

Learn how students can use MEFA Pathway's College Cost Calculator to compare their balance due at each college after financial aid has been applied. Students will learn how much each college will cost both annually and over 4 years.

MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains the similarities and differences between Early Action and Early Decision and provides some tips to help guide you through the early admission process.

Scholarships are types of "gift aid" or free money, which means they do not have to be repaid. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains where to find both local and national scholarships and helpful tips to use in your search.

MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning and Content Creation Jonathan Hughes explains where to find a student loan to pay for college, how you can determine how much to borrow, and what to consider when selecting the loan.