The deadlines for early decision and early action college applications are swiftly approaching. Before your teen applies for one of these programs, consider various factors, including the competitive advantage of applying early decision and the different policies of early action programs among schools.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which opened at the start of this month. Learn the truth behind common myths that often discourage families from filling out the form here.

Need a break from college admissions tasks? Check out the 2019 U.S. News Best Global Universities on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Cheers!

The U.S. News Education newsletter team: Briana (@B_Boyington) and Melissa (@melissayshin).

How Applying Early for College Affects Financial Aid

Early decision applicants may enjoy better odds of being accepted at their dream school, but that could come at the price of receiving less financial aid, experts say. Learn more here.

10 Things to Know About College Early Admissions Programs

The key difference between early action and early decision programs is that early decision programs are legally binding, while early action programs are not. Here are 10 facts you should know about early college applications.

3 Reasons to Skip Applying to College Early

If your teen is struggling to determine which school is the right fit, waiting for the general admissions deadline may be the best decision. Learn more here.

Should Your Teens Give Their Future Income to a College?

Many schools offer different ways to cover costs. With income-share agreements, known as ISAs, students commit to pay colleges a portion of their future salary for a fixed period in exchange for funds to finance their education. Read this article to determine whether your teen should participate in an ISA program.

Though international students generally don’t qualify for federal financial aid, there are a handful of schools that provide generous packages. These aid awards often involve on-campus jobs or institutional funds from the college.

The schools that offer the most financial aid to international students include highly ranked National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges. Columbia University tops the list with an average aid of $66,350 awarded to international undergraduates during the 2017-2018 school year.

See the full list here and check out all the Best Colleges rankings here.

Find the Right Fit With Our Compare Tool

Students can narrow down their list of colleges by selecting ones that interest them using our compare tool. We'll show how they stack up to help students find the right fit.