Make Smarter College Decisions Without Overpaying for College
We help families navigate college selection, financial aid, and college funding strategies so they can find the right colleges for their student while reducing unnecessary out-of-pocket costs.
13+ Years of Experience | 500+ Families Helped | Personalized College & Financial Planning
You shouldn't have to sacrifice your retirement to pay for your child's college education.
At Excel College Planning, we offer a comprehensive and complete solution to navigating the college planning process.
We can assist you in the following areas:
College Planning
Build a strategic college list based on academic, social, and financial fit.
Financial Aid & Funding Strategy
.Understand what colleges may expect your family to pay and identify opportunities to maximize financial assistance.
Financial Positioning & Implementation
Develop strategies to reduce college costs while protecting your family's broader financial goals.
The goal isn't simply getting your student into college. It's finding the right college at the right price.
College decisions can affect your family financially for years. We help you evaluate your options before applications are submitted, understand your potential college costs, and build a strategy for paying for college without unnecessarily sacrificing your other financial goals.
What does a college education cost?
With undergraduate 4 year college cost (before aid) now cost 100,000 – 300,000+, parents need to be aware and involved with student’s college selection to make sure they are choosing colleges that are affordable.
What does a college education cost?
With undergraduate 4 year college cost (before aid) now cost 100,000 – 300,000+, parents need to be aware and involved with student’s college selection to make sure they are choosing colleges that are affordable.
Let Us Coach You.
Excel College Planning helps families in selecting the right fit colleges for the student, performing career searches, maximizing your financial aid potential, and showing you how to cash flow your financial responsibility.
How to Reduce the Expense of College?
We can help reduce Student Aid Index or Family Contribution so that students can maximize aid as well as choose colleges that are a good fit for them academically and for the parents financially.
Start this process by attending one of our informational free webinars, then request a free consultation to see how we can assist you!
Big savings – We routinely save families $50,000- $100,000 from a typical four-year college experience.
What is the cost of your services?
Every family’s situation is unique, just like every student is unique. After the initial free consultation, we will determine your family’s needs and recommend what services make sense; this will then determine the cost for the services you will need.
What you will learn at our Webinar or Workshop?
This will be a valuable class for all parents with college-bound students. We will go over timeline for high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors!
In this free informational webinar you will learn:
How to help students decide which colleges they should apply to.
The importance of the FAFSA form and other financial aid forms, timelines, deadlines, and the planning that needs to be done before these forms get submitted.
What goes into the US Department of Education and the colleges’ calculation of your Student Aid Index.
How to maximize your student’s potential to receive gift-aid scholarships and grants!
How to attend a PRIVATE COLLEGE for a Public College Price!!!
How procrastination could cost your family thousands of dollars!
Plan for a full 1 hour, we’ll use every minute of class time. Q & A session will follow the presentation.
*Feeling overwhelmed and not where and how to start??? We will go over timeline and the process with you!
Important: This class will discuss how families with an annual income of $75,000 – $400,000 received financial assistance to help pay for a college education!
Business Innovators Radio Network Interview
Featured Interview: College Planning & Funding
with Lea Cruz
Listen to Lea discuss strategies families can use to approach college planning and college costs.
How We Help Families Make Smarter College Decisions
Strategic College Planning
Help your student build a college list that fits academically, socially, and financially.
College Funding & Financial Aid Strategy
Understand what colleges may expect you to pay and identify strategies that may help reduce your family's out-of-pocket costs.
College & Retirement Planning
Develop a college funding strategy that considers your retirement and other long-term financial goals.
Want to Learn How College Funding Really Works?
Join one of our free College Funding & Financial Aid workshops or webinars and learn strategies that can help your family make smarter college decisions.
Helping Families Navigate College With Confidence
See what parents have to say about their experience working with Excel College Planning.
Step By Step, Easy To Understand!
Excel College Planning, led by Lea, has been really helpful in guiding our family through the often overwhelming college preparation process. Lea and her team are both professional and personable, and they truly take the stress out of what can feel like a daunting journey–especially for first-time parents.
From the very beginning, Lea always consistently available to answer our questions and explain every step in a way that’s easy to understand. The team support has given us peace of mind, especially knowing that all deadlines are being tracked and nothing falls through the cracks.
What truly stands out is their commitment to maximizing scholarship opportunities and providing personalized recommendations tailored to each student.
We are so grateful to have them on our side!
Annie H.
Upland, CA
Upland, CAaProud parent of a UC Berkeley student and a Chapman student
A Professional & Personable Team!
Excel College Planning lead by Lea has been critically helpful. She and her team are professional and personable taking the daunting tasks away from the process.
My wife and I highly recommend rendering their service. We have three children and rendering their service was a must. We have one more child to go and we know we will be in good hands with Lea and her team!
George & Tiffany L.
Lake Forest, CA
Proud parents of Washington University of St. Louis and UC San Diego
We’re Going To College!
”When it came time for my daughter to attend college it was a frightening time for us as parents.
Thank GOD we came in contact with Lea. She gave us so much comfort knowing she would do everything in her power to get us as a family in a positive position where my daughter would get as much financial help as possible and still be able for us as parents to afford college.
We are so happy with Lea, that we have our second daughter that will start college next year and we are working with Lea once again.
Lea would always answer her phone and always responded quickly to all concerns throughout the process and then after.
If you’re considering joining a college preparation company, it’s one of the most important choices you will make, you will be in safe hands with Lea…”
Oscar S.
Proud parent of a USC student and future freshman in college
We Could Not Be Happier!
I am so pleased that I was able to work with Lea as we prepared for my daughter to select and go to college. I definitely needed the support, guidance and assistance and that is what I received; actually, I am still depending on it!
Lea and her team have always been available for my many calls and questions. She has been patient and was able to meet me and my daughter’s individual needs. My daughter is now a sophomore at a small private college for the same cost as an in-state public college cost after the financial assistance we received.
She could not be happier with her college choice, it was exactly what she wanted; rigorous curriculum with a supportive community in a beautiful setting-and I’m so happy that after the grants and scholarships we received that I’m able to send her there.
Evelyn A.
Proud parent of a Reed College student
949.420.4509 or 951.544.7693
(949) 420-0681
(Text l Voicemail for Webinar & Workshop Confirmations)
Hours Mon-Fri: 9:00AM – 5:00PM
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