MEFA's College Planning Tool
Did you know you can create a personal college savings strategy for your family with MEFA's College Planning Tool? MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning and Content Creation Jonathan Hughes explains how you can use the tool to project your future college savings, receive step-by-step guidance, and discover colleges and scholarships.
The U.Plan
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!
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
If you’ve seen the terms subsidized and unsubsidized on your financial aid offers from colleges, you may be wondering what the difference is between these types of student loans. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains what these loans have in common, as well as how they differ when it comes to accruing interest.
Cost of Attendance
Wondering what exactly cost of attendance means? MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains everything you need to know about the cost of attendance at a college and all the expenses that cost of attendance includes, both direct and indirect.
Transferring Colleges
Transferring colleges can affect your student loans. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains why it's important to contact your student loan lender and notify them that you are transferring colleges and how to make sure your loans do not enter repayment when you transfer schools.
MEFA Loans
MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning and Content Creation Jonathan Hughes explains how to apply for a MEFA Loan, what options are available, and when repayment begins.
College Gifting
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.
Why Save for College?
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.
What is a 529 Plan?
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.
MEFA Institute: Search for Colleges with MEFA Pathway
Learn how students can use the College Search tool within MEFA Pathway, MEFA’s free college and career planning portal, to select specific criteria to search for colleges and build a solid college list.