Foundation
How to pay for college – access, scholarships and advice
Equitable understands how challenging the road to college can be. We developed Equitable Excellence® to help make college possible by providing access and advice.
Access to scholarships
Since inception in 2003, Equitable Excellence® has awarded approximately $30 million in scholarships to more than 7,500 students, making Equitable one of the nation’s largest corporate providers of scholarships. Our winners, known as Equitable Excellence Scholarship® scholars, strive to be a force for good in their communities. Visit our Equitable Excellence Scholarship® page to learn more.
Advice on planning for college
For parents
Sending a child to college is one of the biggest financial challenges a family faces, and can be overwhelming. Whether your child is almost ready for college, or college is many years off, making the right decisions now is crucial. We've compiled further resources located at the bottom of the page to help you and your family plan for college.
For students
College – it’s all about future possibilities and unlocking your potential. You are tomorrow’s leaders, and we want you to succeed. Equitable has partnered with a FAFSA® expert to bring you resources centered around taking steps to obtain your post-secondary degree. From completing your FAFSA® to understanding how to find an affordable college, these are critical steps all students should take when planning for the future.
Helping students pay for college
Equitable Foundation is proud to offer a suite of educational tools and resources that empower financial professionals to make a meaningful impact within school districts. These programs not only help students navigate the financial challenges of pursuing higher education but also aim to provide support to teachers, administrators and counselors who may not have the bandwidth to create this content.
Program highlights
- Comprehensive resources: Equitable Foundation offers a suite of educational materials designed to help students find the right college, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), and apply for scholarships.
- Educational alignment: All courses and workshops are aligned with our Foundation’s key area of focus to guide students through the next steps of their post-secondary journey.
- Community impact: By bringing support to schools and communities nationwide centered around college access, we ensure students have the tools and pathways to valuable information that supports academic and financial success.
College planning programs - what students will learn
Equitable Foundation has developed three targeted programs to further support students and families:
How to pay for college
- Saving for college: A foundational workshop that introduces students to the full range of financial aid options, including federal, state, and institutional aid, and walks them through the process of planning and budgeting for college.
Complete the FAFSA® in six easy steps
- FAFSA® completion: Get step-by-step guidance on how to complete the FAFSA®, a critical component in securing financial aid, with practical tools to help students and parents navigate the process confidently.
How to find an affordable college
- Building an affordable college list: Discover how to research and select colleges that fit both academic goals and financial realities. Students learn to compare sticker prices vs. net prices, use net price calculators, and identify schools offering generous aid or credit transfer options.
Resource for educators, counselors and school districts
Customizable FAFSA® playbook
- FAFSA® completion: A FAFSA® tool kit for school districts across the country to customize and implement, to guide them through successful FAFSA® completion events for students and their families.
Click here to submit an inquiry to our team so we can send you the FAFSA® Playbook directly!
Resources
To guide you even further on your post-secondary aspirations, we’ve compiled a list of recommended websites to help you dive deeper into specific financial aid topics.
- Finaid.org – A comprehensive resource on student financial aid. An excellent place to begin.
- Federal Student Aid – An Office of the U.S. Department of Education, a place for all things FAFSA®, loans/grants, loan repayment and loan forgiveness information.
- National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators – Get information from the professionals. NASFAA works to promote maximum funding and effective delivery of financial assistance to students in postsecondary education.
- National College Attainment Network (NCAN) – An Equitable Foundation partner, NCAN is a nonprofit membership and advocacy association. Their mission is to support members and influence leaders, organizations, policies, and systems across the country to increase equity and excellence in postsecondary degree access and attainment.
- Scholarship America – One of the nation’s largest nonprofit private sector scholarship and educational support organizations. Equitable Foundation’s partner in Equitable Excellence®.
Equitable Foundation is the philantropic arm of Equitable and Equitable Advisors. Equitable Excellence® is a service mark of the Equitable Foundation. Equitable is the brand name of the retirement and protection subsidiaries of Equitable Holdings, Inc., including Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company (Equitable Financial) NY, NY. Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America (Equitable America), an AZ stock company with an administrative office in Charlotte, NC, and Equitable Distributors, LLC. Equitable Advisors is the brand name of Equitable Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) (Equitable Financial Advisors in MI and TN).
GE-8861790.1 (04/2026) (Exp. 04/2030)