The honest answer: it depends on the model. There is no official price list for college planning in New Jersey, and fees vary widely with what is included. Here is how the common fee models work, how to compare quotes, and what to watch out for.
The common fee models
- Hourly consulting. You pay for time. This can work for a single, well-defined question, such as reviewing one aid offer.
- Flat-fee package. One price for a defined scope — for example, help with the FAFSA and CSS Profile, or a planning engagement over a set period.
- Multi-year engagement or retainer. Ongoing help that can start in early high school and run through award letters, sometimes through all four years of college.
- "Free" seminars and commission-based planning. Some advisors charge no planning fee but are paid through financial products they sell, such as insurance or annuities. That is not automatically a problem, but you should always know how your advisor gets paid.
What drives the cost
- Scope. Help with aid forms only costs less than a full plan that also covers taxes, a family business, and insurance.
- Complexity. Business owners, divorced or separated parents, and families with more than one child in college take more work.
- Timing. Starting before the FAFSA base year leaves more room to plan than starting in the spring of senior year — see the FAFSA base year, explained.
- The team. One advisor working alone is a different service from a coordinated team that includes a CPA.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
- Who prepares or reviews the FAFSA and the CSS Profile?
- Will you help us compare award letters and appeal an offer?
- How are you paid — fees, commissions, or both?
- Will a CPA review the tax side of the plan?
- What happens if our situation changes partway through?
Red flags
- A guarantee of a specific aid amount. No one can guarantee financial aid.
- Pressure to move money or buy a financial product before you understand why.
- Advice to leave information off an aid form. Aid forms must be complete and accurate.
- A fee just to "file" the FAFSA with nothing else explained. The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — filing it is free. Paying for advice and review can be worth it; paying for data entry alone usually isn't.
Is a college planner worth it?
Weigh the fee against what is actually at stake: the total cost of four years, the gap between a college's published price and what families really pay (why sticker price isn't real price), and the decisions you would be making anyway. A good planner should be able to explain, in plain English, where their work could make a difference for your family — without promising a result. Outcomes vary and are never guaranteed.
How NJPFB works — and how to get our pricing
NJ Parents Fight Back is not a form-filling service. A college planning advisor, an insurance strategist, and a CPA work together on one written Family Success Action Plan that covers college aid, teen-driver insurance, and tax and LLC strategy. Because every family's scope is different, we don't publish a price list on this page. Call 908-751-1204 or book your initial call with Jeff to talk through your situation and get our pricing. See how our college financial aid planning works, and read our guides to FAFSA help and college planning and financial aid in NJ.