About Us

College Funding Specialists was founded by Ryan Thomson in January of 2006.  Ryan graduated from Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business in December of 1996. From January of 1997 until December of 2005 Ryan worked for National College Funding Service out of Troy, Michigan.

While in Michigan, in addition to working with families to properly prepare for college, Ryan also served as one of the chief counselors for National Association of College Funding Advisors for over 5 years to help train college funding professionals around the country.

In 2006, after 9 years of helping families and training college funding professionals, Ryan decided the time to start his own company had arrived.  Having visited the Austin area frequently on family trips and having two brothers in the Dallas area, the decision to move to Austin was an easy one.  He happily traded in his snow shovel and winter clothes for the opportunity to come to the warm and friendly Austin area.

Over his career Ryan has presented hundreds of workshops teaching thousands of families how to properly plan for college and how to maximize all of the resources available to help in doing so.  In addition to the two workshops CFS promotes each month Ryan is frequently invited to present his workshop at different public high school events, for specific private high schools, private companies, charitable groups, and even workshops that are organized by families he is working with that want their friends/relatives/co-workers to have the benefit of attending one of his workshops. 

CFS is currently working with families from over 30 different public high schools from the following Independent School Districts: Austin ISD, Leander ISD, Round Rock ISD, Georgetown ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Eanes ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Marble Falls ISD, Bastrop ISD, Dripping Springs ISD, Lago Vista ISD, Liberty Hill ISD, Hutto ISD, Manor ISD, and Elgin ISD.  In addition to these families we also assist many families with students attending private high schools, home schooled students, and we even assist families who live outside of the Austin area and the state of Texas.
.