November 25, 2025

Shopping for College with Mark Salisbury

How do opaque college prices affect student behavior, and how can students see past pricing to make informed decisions? Mark Salisbury addresses these issues and more.

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About the episode

College pricing has become so confusing that many families assume they can’t afford a four-year degree before they even look at their options. Sticker prices feel overwhelming, award letters are inconsistent, and actual prices are not publicized nearly as widely as the full sticker price.

In this episode, Mark Salisbury explains why college costs have become so opaque and how TuitionFit can help families reclaim clarity and confidence in the process. He breaks down the rise of the high-price/high-discount model, the myths that discourage students, and why understanding true net price is essential for making empowered decisions.

He also touches on shifting attitudes towards standardized tests and how preparation for these tests can help students out with other life skills. Finally, he encourages families to have financial conversations early, and to do so openly, to find success in the college application process.

Mentioned in this episode

TuitionFit (Mark’s tool for financial aid estimates)
Success Prints Crash Course (Video game and board game to help prepare students for their first year of college)
Pathways Planning and Insights (Mark’s nonprofit)

Host

Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut.Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Guest

Mark Salisbury

Mark has spent over three decades helping people make the most of their educational opportunities and helping educators inspire their students. His research and insights have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nerdwallet, and Money Magazine. As the founder of the TuitionFit project, he is a staunch advocate for increasing financial transparency in the higher education marketplace. His non-profit, Pathways Planning & Insights, teaches students and families how to identify a path to thriving as an adult without compromising anyone’s financial future.