The annual NCAA basketball tourney will soon tip off for both men and women. And so begins the scramble to fill out brackets, predict a winner and take your friends or colleagues money.
But instead of picking winners based on rankings or records, what if you picked winners based on the Cost of Attendance (COA)?
Thanks to the folks at Columbia Threadneedle Investments (full disclosure: I have no individual connection nor experience doing business with them), you can do just that.
Check out the Men's March Madness bracket based on COA they put together here. And the Women's March Madness bracket based on COA here.
Fun and games aside, understanding COA is a key step in college planning. Yes, COA is rising and has risen dramatically over the years. But so has merit aid, particularly aid tied to academic achievement like GPA and test scores.
So as you diligently fill out your brackets for March Madness, be sure to apply that same diligence to your GPA and test scores.
And if you need help with your GPA or test scores, contact CROSSWALK. We offer tutoring in all academic subjects as well as small group and private test prep for the SAT and ACT.