Today, Mark Salisbury shares the secrets to spending less on the cost of college! As the founder of TuitionFit, explains how the college pricing and financial aid system is designed to favor schools over families. He describes how emotional marketing, opaque pricing, and complex financial aid forms create confusion and limit families’ leverage. he outlines how students and parents can regain control by defining their price range first, using resources like TuitionFit and net price calculators, and strategically managing assets, timing, and financial disclosures. He also covers how income, savings, and family structure affect aid, and more! Today we discuss... 

• Mark Salisbury explains how the college pricing system is intentionally vague, designed to benefit schools rather than families.
• This conversation exposes how the financial aid process operates like a hidden marketplace where families unknowingly pay vastly different prices for the same education.
• Mark explains the difference between a school’s sticker price, discount rate, and net price, emphasizing that the last is what truly matters.
• He details how the FAFSA and CSS Profile collect information that can be used by colleges to assess a family’s financial “willingness to pay.”
• Timing and disclosure of assets can dramatically impact how much financial aid a family receives.
• Families with business ownership structures may have advantages in how assets and income are reported.
• Fnancial aid formulas often penalize savings while rewarding debt.
• Salisbury argues that families should start with their budget first, then find schools that fit within that price range—rather than applying and hoping for aid.
• Tools like TuitionFit help families compare real financial aid offers and discover the true market price for college.
• He advises against oversharing financial information before admission decisions are made to preserve negotiation leverage.
• Negotiating college costs is compared to buying a car—where informed consumers who know their target price get better deals.
• Transparency and data sharing among families are key to fixing the broken college pricing system.
• Mark calls for systemic reform to make higher education pricing fairer, more transparent, and tied to real market value.