NCAA Madness by C.O.A.

It's that time of year: March Madness is upon us.

Thanks to Columbia Threadneedle Investments (no affiliation with CROSSWALK), perhaps the madness is more about Cost of Attendance (C.O.A.).

Here is the NCAA March Madness bracket by C.O.A. for the men:

And the winner is? If most expensive is your winner, then Northwestern tops USC by a score of $357,576 to $340,256.

In fact, there are as many as seven schools with a C.O.A. greater than $300,000.

Mind boggling? Perhaps. But do keep in mind that C.O.A. is not the actual price for most students. Scholarships and financial aid can reduce overall C.O.A.

And how do you get scholarships and financial aid? The easiest way is through demonstrated academic success. That definitely means a good GPA can mean a good SAT or ACT score.

Yes, test scores and GPAs are paths to greater college affordability and CROSSWALK is here to do just that. At CROSSWALK, we boost GPAs, raise test scores and help students on their path to learning success.