Applying to college is a muti-step process, and most high school students have not managed a multi-month process on their own. That's why you might want to make a college application checklist.

While there are always adults (such as parents, teachers, school counselors, or your dean) who can help you through the process, most students will want to take ownership of the application process. After all, you are the most important stakeholder in your college decision.

This college application checklist can help you apply for colleges with limited stress and maximum effectiveness.

Click the image to download a printable PDF version of our college application checklist.

College Application Activities for Junior Year

You don’t have to start the college application process during your junior year, but crossing these items off the list early will put you in a much better position to start applying to schools as soon as applications open in the fall.

Winter

Take a standardized test. During your junior year, you may want to take the ACT or SAT. These tests aren’t required by all schools, but at this point, you probably don’t know whether you’ll need these test results. By taking a standardized test during your junior year, you’ll be prepared to apply “early action” for some schools. You’ll also have time to retake the test if you think that your score doesn’t reflect your intellectual capacity.

Identify target schools. By your junior year, you have some idea of whether you can get into a competitive school or not. But prestige isn’t a particularly good indicator of whether a school is a good fit for you. Consider whether you want to attend a liberal arts school, a state school, or a community college. You’ll want to look at the potential cost of attending different schools. Decide whether you prefer to attend school close to home or further away. Don’t forget to consider how a school’s location could affect your college budget.

Related: How To Make A College List: Finding Academic And Financial Fit

Spring

Visit schools if possible. Visiting a few schools can help you get a feel for which schools are of interest to you. Most schools offer campus tours, and you can spend a few hours on campus to check out the various amenities on campus.

Create a list of awards, honors, and extracurriculars. Take a bit of time to record any awards and honors you’ve received during your high school career. This can include academic awards, but it can also include awards or honors from volunteering, from your part-time job, or any other activity outside of school. Don’t forget that a side hustle (especially building your own business) counts as an extracurricular.

Related: Best Extracurricular Activities For College Applications

College Application Activities for Senior Year

Senior year can be a whirlwind of activity, and it’s easy to leave college applications to the last second. Spacing out the college application process can help you enjoy your senior year while you also plan for post-secondary education.

Summer

If necessary, re-take standardized tests. If you plan to apply to schools that require standardized tests, and you aren’t happy with your score, the summer is the time to retake the test. You can spend a bit more time studying for the tests rather than balancing test prep and all your other academic concerns.

Create your “early action” school list. Early action is when you apply to a school and you find out about your admittance early in the year (typically in December) rather than waiting to find out until March or April. To keep your place in the school you typically need to accept or decline a position at the school by January. When you make your early action list, record the following in a document (like a Google Sheet or a Google Doc):

• When is the application deadline?
• What system is required to complete the application? 
• Does the school have supplemental questions? 

Many schools in the United States accept applications using the Common App. However, some schools like the University of California schools, have their own application system. A few schools only accept applications through a proprietary website.

Most systems allow you to fill out an application, and apply to as many schools as you want. However, some schools have supplemental sections or require supplemental writing. If a school on your early action list has supplementary requests, you will want to take note of that and plan time to complete that portion of the application.

Early Fall

Get your transcript. Schools may request that you send an official transcript to them, but you’ll need a personal copy of your transcript to complete college applications.

Seek recommendation letters. Letters of recommendation can give colleges a picture of who you are outside of the numbers that define you. About two months before you need a recommendation letter, ask coaches, former teachers, pastors, or other adult mentors to write a recommendation letter for you. You’ll need two or three recommendation letters, and you may need to follow up with them to make sure they can complete the recommendation letter on time. Don’t forget to write thank you notes when someone provides a recommendation letter to you.

Complete the FAFSA. The FAFSA is an application for student aid including grants and loans. Many schools use information from the FAFSA to determine need-based aid from the school as well. Completing the FAFSA when it opens (typically on October 1st, but this year in December) will allow you to get a true picture of your cost of attendance.

Write a common college application essay. Some schools require students to submit a personal statement, and almost every school will look favorably on a well-written essay. You’ll want to put time into this essay. Consider writing two drafts before requesting feedback from peers or a trusted teacher. Once you get feedback, incorporate the feedback into your final essay. Remember, this is a personal essay. ChatGPT can’t write this for you.

Determine if you’re eligible for the Common Application Fee Waiver. Most colleges don’t want application fees to get in the way of your ability to apply to the school. If the school uses the Common Application to accept applications, you can qualify for a fee waiver if you are eligible for a Pell Grant or if you receive free or reduced cost lunches. Schools that use other systems typically offer fee waivers based on similar criteria.

Related: Free College Applications And College App Fee Waivers

Submit early action applications. At this point, you should be ready to finalize your early action applications and submit them to the schools on your early action list.

Create a regular application school list. This is similar to the step associated with early action school list. Be sure to note application deadlines and whether the school requires supplemental writing or other time-consuming activities. These notes will help you complete all your applications on time.

Related: What Documents Are Required To Enroll In College

Late Fall

Review early action decisions and financial aid. Most schools that accept you as an early action applicant will send financial aid information with your acceptance package. Take time to review the financial aid package. Assess whether the cost (especially the cost of the student loans) makes sense for you. At this point, you should have the information you need to decide whether to commit to an early action school.

Update list of awards, honors, and extracurriculars. If you plan to apply to more schools, update your awards and honors, so you can take note of the new awards on all your applications.

Complete applications for any remaining schools on your target list. Most schools have application deadlines between December and January, so you’ll need to use that late fall to finalize your applications. It may be tempting to put this off until your school’s winter break, but do your best to break these applications up and complete them earlier so you can spend more of your free time with friends.

Spring

Review financial aid decisions. Springtime brings college decisions. You’ll start to hear back from colleges between March and April. If you haven’t already committed to a school, you’ll want to review the financial aid packages before you commit to a school. While you can always apply for more grants and scholarships, the financial aid information provides a good guide for how much college will really cost.

Commit to one school. With all your options in hand, it’s time for you to commit to a school. This may feel like a huge decision, and in some ways it is. But the decisions you make during your college years will affect your future more than a decision about where you’ll attend school.

Make your final deposit. Ensure that you make your deposit by the deadline.

Finalize housing. It's also time to start planning your housing. Check out our college dorm room packing list for help!

Related: How To Read A Financial Aid Award Letter

Final Thoughts

While there will be lots of people around to help you, at the end of the day, applying to college is your responsibility. Knowing what schools you want to apply to is an important step. Then be sure to familiarize yourself with the requirements and deadlines of each school. 

College applications can sneak up on you if you aren't careful. The earlier you start, the more prepared you'll be. 

Room and board refers to your living expenses while at college.

Applying to college is only half the battle. Once you get accepted you’ll have to figure out how you’re going to pay for it.

One of the biggest expenses to consider when determining where to go to college is room and board, or the cost of living that’s associated with going to school. 

While living expenses can vary, they can substantially increase your overall cost of going to school. In fact, room and board expenses can be 2x or 3x the cost of your tuition!

Here’s what you need to know about room and board and some ways you can get creative to manage your living costs.

What Is Room And Board?

Room and board refers to your primary living expenses when you go away to school. It’s the cost of housing and meals when you live in campus housing.

Room refers to the physical space you live in the related costs. This can be a dormitory or an on-campus apartment. Room expenses include utilities like electricity, internet, and water.

Board includes meals you can redeem at a campus-run dining hall as well as “dollars” you can spend at cafes on campus. This too can vary based on the type of meal plan you get.

Some schools have an on-campus housing requirement for first- and second-year students. Because room and board is typically not included in tuition, this can drastically increase your cost of attendance. 

How Much Does Room and Board Cost?

There are a number of factors that affect the cost of room and board. Rural campuses, for example, are less expensive than attending college in a major city. A single dorm room will likely cost more than living in a shared dorm. Even extra amenities such as air conditioning or parking can also increase your final housing bill.

According to the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of room and board is $12,917. Private colleges tend to have a housing requirement and charge more for room and board than in-state public schools. Because many public schools don’t have a housing requirement, it’s easier for students to live off campus and commute to class.

A campus meal plan is a requirement if you live in student housing that doesn’t have a kitchen. This is usually more expensive than cooking at home. The Education Data Initiative also reports that the average meal plan is around $570 per month while cooking at home is around $263.

Meal plans can be purchased for a set number of meals per week and include an allowance to spend at campus-run cafes and convenience stores. Some schools like Cornell University partner with local restaurants, allowing students to spend their meal plan dollars off campus. 

Example Of Room And Board Compared To Tuition

Here's an example of how room and board can significantly impact the cost you pay for college. Make sure you understand the requirements of your college when figuring out the cost of attendance.

Let's take San Diego State University as an example. If you're a resident of San Diego, you're not required to live on campus (but you can choose to). However, if you're not a resident of San Diego, or are an out-of-state student, you are required to live on campus for your first year of college.

In-State Tuition: $8,728

Out-Of-State Tuition: $21,328

Cost Of Room And Board On Campus: $23,030

As you can see, the cost of living on campus is expensive!

For a local student, living on-campus takes your total cost of one year of college from $8,728 to $31,758.

If you're out-of-state, it's even more expensive! You will pay at least $44,358 for just tuition, room, and board.

You have to remember that this is also just one year. Prices usually rise each year. And you'll have additional costs like books and supplies, travel, and more. Just run these numbers through our College ROI Calculator and you'll quickly discover it's not worth the price.

Related: Why You Should Never Apply To An Out-Of-State "State" College

Pros and Cons of Room and Board

When considering where to go to school, it’s important to evaluate how room and board will impact your quality of life and total cost of attendance.

Pros

• Convenient to classes and campus resources
• Opportunity to socialize with other students
• Secure access
• Ability to learn important skills without being completely on your own

Cons

• On-campus housing and meals tend to be more expensive
• Lack of privacy
• Must adhere to campus rules
• Unable to establish credit history with utility companies

How to Pay for Room and Board

Before you sit down to create a budget, evaluate the cost of living of where you plan to go to school. While attending a prestigious school in a major city has its advantages, you don’t want to wind up having to live in an overpriced dorm that you have to pay for years after you graduate.

After you budget for the total cost of attendance – including room and board – you’ll need to figure out how to pay for it. Student loans will cover housing. If you live on campus, room and board will be billed directly to your Bursar account and you won’t have to worry about it. If you live off campus, you can use any refund you get to help you pay rent and other housing costs.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if you use a loan to cover your living expenses, it will still accrue interest. While the all-you-can-eat buffet in your dining hall may seem fun your freshman year, it will cost a pretty penny thanks to compound interest.

Figure out what type of housing is available and what your personal preferences are. When I was a student I had a housing requirement but could opt to live in a campus apartment my sophomore year instead of a dorm. The apartment cost the same as a dorm and had a full kitchen, allowing me to opt out of a pricey meal plan.

Grants and scholarships can also be used to cover room and board. This is essentially free money that you won’t have to pay back. Make sure to read the fine print of any award money you receive to make sure there are no special stipulations on how you spend it.

You can also get free or reduced housing by becoming a resident advisor or RA. You’ll usually be responsible for managing undergrads in an on-campus dorm but doing so will give access to a single dorm and a meal plan. This can be a great option to dramatically cut your living expenses.

The bottom line? As you evaluate your college options, don’t skip room and board. This can be a significant cost regardless of where you live and can add to your overall education costs.

According to a new report from John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), College Cash Uncovered, there are significant discrepancies between colleges’ published cost of attendance (COA) budgets and the actual expenses students face. These discrepancies contribute to college affordability challenges and inadequate financial aid. This leaves some students with financial gaps of $10,000 or more.

John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the lives of youth who have experienced foster care or homelessness. They work on policy advocacy and providing resources to at-risk youth, including stable housing, education, healthcare and financial support. The organization tries to address higher education access, financial aid and foster youth transitions into adulthood.

What Is The Cost OF Attendance?

A college’s cost of attendance, or COA, is supposed to measure the total annual college costs for a student to attend the college. Each college may have a different cost of attendance.

The cost of attendance includes both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are paid to the college, while indirect costs are not. The distinction does not matter much for families, since they have to pay both direct and indirect costs, and financial aid eligibility is based on the combination of direct and indirect costs. But, some colleges and trade groups emphasize just the direct costs, especially when trying to convince people that college costs have not increased.

The cost of attendance (sometimes called a student budget) includes allowances for the following costs.

• Tuition And Fees
  
• Housing And Food (also known as Room and Board): The housing allowance for college owned or operated housing must be based on the average or median housing charges, whichever is greater. The allowance for food must provide the equivalent of three meals a day.
  
• Books, Supplies, Course Materials, and Equipment: This includes an allowance for a personal computer, in addition to textbooks and educational materials.
  
• Transportation: The transportation allowance must cover the cost of commuting between school, home and work. The transportation allowance does not include the cost of buying a car, just the incremental cost of transportation.
  
• Personal Expenses: Personal expenses include laundry, clothing, toiletries and personal needs.
  
• Other Costs: Other costs can include dependent care costs, disability-related expenses, study abroad expenses and loan fees for federal loans but not private loans. It can also include the cost of professional licensing and certification and the cost of first-professional credentials. Dependent care costs include but are not limited to class time, study time, field work, internships and commuting time.
  

The cost of attendance is used to determine eligibility for need-based financial aid. Financial need is defined as the difference between the cost of attendance and the student aid index. The Student Aid Index (SAI) was previously known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

Related: Financial Aid Calculator

What Are The Problems With The Cost Of Attendance Calculations?

The key issue is that some allowances in the cost of attendance differ from actual student expenses.

For example:

• Colleges tend to routinely underestimate allowances for textbooks and transportation.
• Some of the cost of attendance allowances are averages, as opposed to actual costs. Students from at-risk populations often have above-average costs.
• The accuracy of cost allowances is often unreliable. In many cases, colleges use outdated figures adjusted only by a standard inflation rate over the years, which fails to capture actual cost increases. At nearly a third of colleges, the non-tuition costs have not been adjusted for inflation at all. Additionally, allowances for off-campus housing often underestimate true costs, especially since rent is typically higher in college towns.

Furthermore, many expenses are omitted from the cost of attendance:

• Many fees are not included in the allowance for tuition and fees, such as technology fees, activity fees, athletic fees, orientation fees, health center fees, library fines, lab fees, transcript fees and graduation fees.
  
• Technology costs, such as computers, software and peripherals are often omitted from the cost of attendance.
  
• Allowances for transportation often omit the cost of parking, insurance and maintenance.
  
• Housing allowances often omit the cost of utilities (electricity, heating, telephone, internet), renter’s insurance and security deposits. There may also be fraternity and sorority dues.
  
• The cost of attendance also does not include the cost of health insurance, insurance deductibles, copays and over-the-count medicine.
  
• Colleges routinely omit allowances for dependent care and disability expenses. Students must know to ask for these allowances.
  

It's also important to point out that even the cost of tuition may not be finalized until after students have had to accept enrollment. Many colleges don't finalize their exact tuition costs until June or July of the year, depending on the fiscal calendar. And since college prices tend to rise 3-5% per year, this can also create inaccurate estimates.

The JBAY report points out that cost of attendance budgets often fail to consider regional variations and the unique needs of diverse student populations, such as childcare or disability-related costs.

This results in a misleading representation of the real financial burden on students.

Bad Cost Estimates Harm Students

The JBAY report identifies discrepancies between colleges’ published cost of attendance (COA) budgets and the actual expenses students face. Underestimating actual living costs makes college unaffordable for many students, especially those from at-risk populations with limited financial resources.

Discrepancies in Cost of Attendance (COA) Budgets

Many colleges significantly underestimate the actual expenses faced by students, particularly for low-income, foster youth and other vulnerable groups. There is a wide gap between the published cost of attendance figures and the true costs for housing, food and transportation, especially in high-cost regions. This discrepancy results in a much heavier financial burden than is reflected in the college’s official cost of attendance estimates. 

According to the report, over half of colleges use cost of attendance budgets that fail to account for the actual expenses, with underestimations sometimes exceeding $10,000 per year. Many students face food and housing insecurity and are unable to absorb discrepancies in the college cost of attendance, further exacerbating their financial hardships.

Disproportionate Impact On Vulnerable Students

The inaccurate cost of attendance estimates disproportionately harm low-income students, who often struggle to cover the true costs despite receiving financial aid. 

The standardized cost of attendance budgets fail to consider the unique circumstances of foster youth and students without family support, who lack access to parental housing during school breaks. The unmet need for former foster care students is nearly double that of their peers.

Additionally, students with children have substantially greater expenses than the costs included in the college’s student budget. These inaccurate estimates result in severe financial stress, making it difficult for these students to succeed and persist in their academic pursuits.

Lack Of Transparency In Calculating Non-Tuition Costs

Many colleges do not disclose how they calculate non-tuition costs within the cost of attendance budget, nor do they proactively inform students about the process for requesting an adjustment based on actual expenses.

This lack of transparency makes it difficult for students to appeal for a higher cost of attendance, even when their expenses exceed the college’s estimates. Additionally, there can be significant variations in non-tuition cost estimates among colleges in the same geographic region.

Inadequate Financial Aid

The underestimates of actual college costs lead to lower financial aid offers that do not meet the students’ actual financial need. 

The financial aid gaps make college unaffordable for many low-income and middle-income families, forcing them to work excessive hours, borrow from private student loan programs, and enroll part-time instead of full-time.

Ultimately, these financial pressures increase the likelihood that the students will drop out of college.

Key Recommendations

The JBAY report makes several recommendations for better aligning cost of attendance estimates with actual student expenses. This will help bridge financial gaps and support student success.

• Colleges need to improve the accuracy of cost of attendance calculations.
  
• The calculation of non-tuition expenses like housing, books and transportation must be standardized, with consideration of local and regional cost differences.
  
• Colleges must enhance the support for students needing financial aid adjustments and ensure that the adjustments reflect the student’s specific circumstances.
  
• Financial aid awards must be increased to cover the gap between the cost of attendance and the student’s ability to pay.
  
• The financial aid application and award process must be streamlined to avoid introducing barriers to college access and success.
  

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Curious which colleges offer the largest scholarships?

There are many different ways to fund a college education, and each has its pros and cons. College scholarships are one of the best ways, and can offer a significant return on your time investment - especially if you're focusing on colleges with the largest scholarships! 

Even a few hours spent applying for various scholarships can pay off with hundreds or thousands of dollars towards your tuition and other college expenses.

But which colleges offer the largest scholarship amounts, and is that the best measurement to use? I'll explore these questions in more detail throughout this article. 

What Are College Scholarships And How Do They Work?

A college scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to a student for the purpose of post-secondary schooling. Scholarships are often awarded based on academic achievement, but can also be need-based. 

There are two main types of college scholarships. The first are those offered by individual organizations. These scholarships can be used for any college, university or institution of higher learning. There are many different websites where you can search for these types of scholarships.

Other scholarships come directly from the colleges and universities. In many cases, colleges have a set tuition cost but then offset that cost with scholarships. This scholarship money can be quite significant depending on the university.

Scholarships can be need-based, merit-based, a combination of both or awarded on any number of different factors. Your odds of landing college-awarded scholarships may play a factor in deciding which college you should attend.

Using The Common Data Set (CDS) 

A school's website and financial aid department are excellent resources for understanding total tuition and other costs, and finding available scholarships. Another resource is the Common Data Set (CDS) Initiative.

The Common Data Set is a document containing a variety of standard questions about about attending college, including financial information. It's a collaborative effort between several different data providers throughout the higher education community to standardize the information that is available to students and others who are researching universities. 

What Is Included In The Common Data Set?

There are hundreds of questions included in the CDS, but for the purposes of finding the colleges with the largest scholarships and most financial aid offered, here are a few examples of financial information that is included in the Common Data Set:

• The total amount of award aid to students
• The number of students who received need-based and non-need-based financial aid
• The percentage of students who took out student loans 
• The number of students whose financial needs were completely met by financial aid offers

You can find the complete CDS questionnaire on the Common Data Set website.

CDS Examples

The good news is that nearly every public and private college and university compiles and publishes their answers to the CDS questions. The bad news is that there is not a publicly-accessible compilation of the answers to the CDS questions for every college.

Instead, you will have to search for each college's responses. You can do a web search for the name of a specific college and "CDS" — for example "University of Cincinnati CDS" or "Harvard Common Data Set", and usually the first response will be that school's responses.

To get an idea of the information you'll find, here are the CDS responses from a few schools for a small fraction of the financial aid-related questions for the 2021-22 school year:

As you can see, there is plenty of information available, even from this very small sample. 

6 Schools With The Largest Scholarships

There are a couple of different ways to determine the colleges with the largest scholarships. Do you count colleges with high tuition and other ancillary costs that also offer a large amount of scholarship aid? Or is the largest scholarship the one which covers the highest percentage of overall cost? And what about tuition-free schools?

We wanted to look at two factors:

1. Colleges with the highest percentage of students receiving non-need based aid
   
2. Colleges with the largest amount of financial aid given
   

The six colleges listed below all offer large amounts of scholarship and other financial aid (information based on CDS responses from the 2021-22 academic year):

Colleges with a high percentage of students receiving non-need-based aid:

• Utah Tech University — 96%
• Westminster College (PA) — 80%
• Webb Institute (NY) — 74%

Colleges with a large average amount of financial aid given:

• Columbia University (NY) — $55,521
• Yale University — $52,894
• Williams College — $51,890

But remember, colleges like Columbia top our list of the most expensive colleges as well. So just because you're getting a lot of financial aid, you still might be paying an extremely high price.

The Bottom Line

There are many ways to pay for college, and scholarships can be a great way to offset the costs of higher education. Like grants, scholarships typically do not have to be repaid, making them a better option than student loans which, of course, must be repaid. And while it can be challenging to find the colleges with the largest scholarships, the Common Data Set questionnaire is a good place to start.

The CDS questionnaire shows, for each respondent school or university, the number of students, the number of students that received a variety of different forms of aid, and the average aid received. By comparing the information for the schools you're considering, you can get an idea of how much you are likely to receive in scholarship aid.

Mos is a financial technology company that helps students search for scholarships and apply for various federal and state student aid programs.

The company began as a student banking alternative, offering a spending account with a rewards debit card, but it has since pivoted solely to student aid and scholarship services. 

We explain how Mos works, including its key features and pricing, and let you know whether we think its worth using. 

What Is Mos?

Mos is a scholarship search website that offers access to a large pool of scholarships and help from a personal advisor (optional) to help you maximize scholarship and financial aid opportunities. 

What Does It Offer?

Mos offers an interesting mix of features that college students can take advantage of. Here’s what stands out about Mos. 

Scholarship Directory 

Mos offers a directory of over 20,000 scholarships. You don’t need an account to browse the directory, but by signing up, MOS can match you to scholarships that give you the best chance of winning. The Mos directory includes dozens of filters to narrow your scholarship search. For example, you can search by low, medium, and high effort, no essay, college, major, scholarship amount, and more. 

Financial Aid Support

Need help completing the FAFSA? Mos offers an AI advisor that can answer questions and assist with filling out financial aid applications as well as essay drafts. If you need more personalized support, you can sign up for Mos Premium for $9.99 per month. This unlocks access to a human advisor who can support you through the financial aid process. According to Mos, Premium subscribers receive an extra $3,000 in financial support on average. 

Mos Plans 

Mos’s basic service (Standard) is free, but you can unlock more personalized service with a Premium subscription, which costs $9.99 monthly. Here’s what’s included with each tier: 

Standard (Free) 

• Private scholarships
• AI Advisor 
• Instant AI Essay Drafts 

Premium ($9.99/month)

• Private scholarships  
• Institutional scholarships 
• Maximize state grants 
• Maximize FAFSA 
• AI Advisor 
• Instant AI Essay drafts 
• Premium Advisor 
• 1:1 FAFSA Review 
• 1:1 Tuition Review 
• Negotiate with your school 

Are There Any Fees?

You can access Mos services free of charge, including its scholarship directory. However, you will have to pay $9.99 per month to access 1:1 FAFSA and tuition support with a Mos expert. Mos claims that it's experts can help you maximize your student aid, although we don't see any way to confirm this. 

How Does Mos Compare?

Several scholarship search websites are available online, and many don’t charge a fee like Mos. Of course, Mos is charging for more personalized service. But if that’s not something you need, you may want to look elsewhere. 

Scholarships360 is a free scholarship search website. It works similarly to Mos in that you can browse its scholarship directory without becoming a member. However, if you sign up, you can provide information allowing Scholarships360 to provide personalized matches. 

How Do I Open An Account?

You can get started with Mos by signing up on its website or downloading the iOS or Android app and applying from your smartphone. You will be required to provide some personal information along with your mobile phone number. 

Contact

Contact options are limited. You can reach Mos support via email at support@mos.com. Unfortunately, it does provide a phone number on its website, nor does it publish any business hours. 

Customer Service
Based on its 4.6 out of 5-star Trustpilot rating, you should expect a positive experience with Mos. Additionally, both the iOS and Android versions of the app have earned over 4 out of 5 stars in their respective stores.

Is It Safe And Secure?

The Mos platform should be considered safe to use. While the company may collect information from its users, such as your name, email address, phone number, other personal info, app activity, location, and financial info, it says that it does not share any of your information with third parties. It also uses standard encryption to ensure that your information is transferred over a secure connection, and users can request that their data be deleted. 

Is It Worth It?

MOS is essentially a scholarship search website that offers personalized assistance for a fee. Their scholarship directory is easy to use, with loads of filters. And by signing up, you can receive personalized scholarship matches. Mos also offers some exclusive scholarships that you won't find on other platforms. 

The big question is whether paying for a Premium subscription is worth it as most students are able to complete the various applications, including the FAFSA, themselves. There are no guarantees that a Mos advisor will get you more money. Ultimately, you'll need to decide if the added cost is worth the peace of mind and time savings, and for some, it might be. 

Features