Helping Parents Have a Hard College Conversation: The Money Talk

We all know The Talk—the one parents put off, overthink, and brace themselves for, knowing it could get real awkward, real fast.

No, not that talk.

This one’s about college—and it can change everything.

The Money Talk.

Too many families put off discussing what they can realistically afford for college until after a student has applied, visited and fallen in love with a school. Then, the financial aid package arrives, and suddenly, reality hits:

💭 “Wait, this is way too expensive.”

💭 “We can’t make this work.”

💭 “Why didn’t we talk about this sooner?”

And just like that, months (sometimes years) of excitement come to a screeching halt.

As admissions and financial aid professionals, we see this happen every year. But what if we could help families start this conversation earlier—before affordability becomes a dealbreaker?

The Problem: Families Aren’t Having The Money Talk Soon Enough

It’s not that parents don’t want to talk about cost—it’s that they often:

• Don’t know where to start. College pricing is complicated, and many parents don’t fully understand tuition, fees, and financial aid.

• Don’t want to limit their student’s choices. Parents want their kids to explore all options before saying “We can't afford that.”

• Are waiting for financial aid letters. They assume they’ll figure it out later, not realizing that some schools might never be an option financially. Waiting until an aid package arrives leaves students in a tough spot. They’ve already invested time, energy and emotions into a school—only to hear, “We can’t afford it.”

How Colleges Can Help Families Have The Money Talk

As admissions and financial aid professionals, we talk about college costs every day. We’re in a perfect position to guide families through this conversation before they make costly mistakes.

1. Give Parents a Simple “How to Have The Money Talk” Guide

Families need a roadmap for discussing affordability. Give them a clear, step-by-step guide that includes:

✔ When to start talking: Junior year is ideal—but earlier is even better.

✔ Key questions to ask: What’s our max budget? What’s an acceptable loan amount? What’s Plan B if aid isn’t enough?

✔ How to research costs: Show them how to use net price calculators, FAFSA estimators and scholarship search tools.

📌 Make this available everywhere: At campus visits, in email campaigns and during financial aid workshops.

2. Send Parent-Focused Emails About College Costs

Most admissions offices focus only on students—but parents need information too. 

A dedicated parent email series should include:

✔ A glossary of terminology. Financial aid uses many words and they vary from school to school. Use this as an opportunity to prepare them for your aid package.

✔ How to compare financial aid offers. Not all aid is the same—help them break it down. Bonus points if you create a comparison chart for them to use for the process!

✔ Examples of aid offers. Don't tell them, show them. Provide examples of past aid packages from real, anonymized students, so they can see how their family size, income and FAFSA outcome relates to scholarships and aid.

✔ Understanding total college costs. Parents often focus on tuition but forget housing, books and fees.

✔ Scholarship & FAFSA reminders. Many families miss out on aid simply because they didn’t know the deadlines.

📌 Pro tip: Use text messages for key deadlines (like FAFSA priority dates). Parents not only pay attention to them, but WANT them.

3. Address College Costs Head-On During Campus Visits & Events

Most colleges love talking about campus life, student experiences, and career outcomes. But are they talking about affordability upfront?

✔ Include financial aid sessions at every admitted student event. Parents will appreciate the transparency.

✔ Train admissions counselors to ask, “Have you talked about budget yet?” It normalizes the conversation.

✔ Make financial aid advisors accessible. Offer quick consultations or online Q&As for families who need clarity.

📌 Instead of just promoting scholarships, also highlight cost-saving options—like tuition payment plans, work-study and accelerated and transfer pathways.

4. Offer Financial Planning Sessions for Families

Many families just need a space to talk through their options.

✔ Host “Financial Aid 101” workshops specifically for parents.

✔ Provide one-on-one financial counseling sessions for admitted families.

✔ Offer virtual Zoom sessions to families with counselors to discuss their personal situations.

📌 Consider a financial aid hotline for parents who need quick answers during financial aid season—this prevents last-minute panic when aid packages arrive.

Families Want Guidance—Let’s Give It to Them

Most parents want to have The Money Talk—they just don’t know how to start.

By providing clear resources, direct communication and proactive support, colleges can help families navigate this conversation early—before financial aid letters arrive and tough decisions need to be made.

Because the last thing any student wants is to get excited about a college, only to hear:

"We can’t afford it."

Let’s help families make informed choices—before it’s too late.