Researchers from Ruffalo Noel Levitz and Scannell & Kurz examined that question in this year’s Rising Seniors survey. In June 2014, they polled 1,500 college-bound seniors to examine their perceptions and expectations about paying for college and applying for financial aid. They discovered, for example, that 40 percent of rising seniors are ruling out colleges based on sticker price alone and 52 percent consider college websites their top information source for learning about financial aid.

This report is the second in an annual series that examines how college-bound seniors and their families view a variety of critical topics related to financing higher education. Topics covered include: family discussion of and planning for college expenses; perceptions of the financial aid process; sources of information in researching cost and aid; expectations for merit-, athletic-, and need-based aid, work, and loans.