Applying early is one way to improve the odds of receiving grant aid from an institution, financial aid experts say. And it’s important that prospective students not underestimate the power of institutional aid, says James W. Lewis, president of the National Society of High School Scholars. “A lot of people don’t realize there are great institutions that have very generous scholarship offerings,” he says. “Some families select not to apply because they think they would not qualify for financial reasons, but that’s often not the case.”
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