Award Advisor

SELF Loan has joined the Award Advisor Partner Network to offer families free access to an AI‑powered mobile app that makes financial aid easier to understand. Award Advisor™ provides a standardized, side‑by‑side comparison of financial aid offers so you can clearly see the total cost of attendance, grants and scholarships, loans, and any remaining balance. 

Please note: Award Advisor was developed by the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education is an Award Advisor Network Partner, but does not play a role in operations of the app.

Typically, a college acceptance is accompanied by a financial aid package, detailed in an award letter. Each college award letter presents aid information differently, which can make it difficult to compare to other schools’ awards. Facing the cost of tuition and the potential of taking on student loans, students across the country are often making life-changing college decisions based upon a handful of often confusing and inconsistent award letters. Comparing them side-by-side to decide can feel like comparing apples and oranges.

Award Advisor was created to provide clarity, transparency, and confidence, empowering students and families to make informed decisions about the true cost of college.

Award Advisor is particularly powerful for first-generation students and modest-income families, fostering meaningful “kitchen table” conversations about financial obligations and tradeoffs.

For high school counselors and advisors, the platform eliminates much of the manual work involved in interpreting aid letters, allowing them to focus on guidance and decision-making rather than repetitive calculations and explanations. Colleges benefit as well: students who understand their costs upfront are more likely to enroll with confidence, reducing financial misunderstandings and lowering the risk of stop-outs.

Using Award Advisor is easy:

1. Download the app onto your iPhone or Android device.
2. Register with basic information.
3. Add schools and scan financial aid letters.

Award Advisor’s engine translates each award letter into consistent, common terms. Students can view information at a high level or dive into detailed breakdowns, with transparency back to the original award letter language. They can also include their own personal funds to see a complete picture of their unique college financing situation.

The app offers two clear comparison views:

• Detailed breakdown: Gift aid, loans, other aid, and remaining gap.
• Simplified view: Free money versus student obligation.

Students can export translated award letters into standardized award letter PDFs for family or counselor discussions, or export comparison data to Excel or Google Sheets for deeper analysis. Award Advisor transforms a confusing collection of letters into clear, actionable information.

Award Advisor™ is available now for free on iPhone and Android devices. Families and counselors are encouraged to explore the app and see how clarity can change the college decision process.

To learn more about Award Advisor, visit: https://awardadvisor.org/

Download Award Advisor for Apple iOS.

Download Award Advisor for Android.