Friday, December 18, 2009

To pay, the use of student loans, scholarships and grants for college

For most middle-class parents who may be a case of sticker shock by all costs to send a young adult university. Between the samples, fees, room and board, was the average annual cost of $ 12,127 at a public school and four years more than $ 29,000 in a private university. The absence of the parents will be asked to consider each year whether they can afford.

The good news is that the answer is yes. With a few simple steps can save families thousands of dollars.

Startearly

One thing that parents should never underestimate the power is saved. A 529 plan is one of the most popular offerings. Essentially offer parents a tax benefit of saving for future college costs. It is also an inscription "Qualified Plan.

529 plans are paid in two variants available - savings and tuition fees in advance. Education savings plans let parents use their plan funds for college expenses at any university. The study pre-paid plans that allow them to block future registrationspublic universities in the state at current prices.

All fifty states and the District of Columbia sponsor at least one type of plan 529th In addition, plan sponsors, a group of private schools and universities, a pre-paid tutoring.

Upromise's website also allows an interesting variation on savings and offers opportunities for customers for everyday purchases.

If the entry is not sufficient

If for some reason, it is too late to save enough or not, is all hopenot lost.

According to a report published by the students of the College Board only has a high price to pay for the university. He said that full-time students at private schools will receive about $ 9,000 in annual aid in the form of grants and tax breaks, while aid is about $ 3100 four years in public schools.

The first step is to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with the tax return. Schools use this basis for allocation decisions, not delay, because the price comes first, arefirst served basis.

There are three types of federal aid for students.

1. Scholarships - financial aid must be repaid.

2. Work-study, you can earn money for school.

3. Loans allow you to borrow money for school, but they must be repaid with interest.

Talk to an expert about the qualifications for each of them, and what works for you.

If he goes to a loan, shop around. Web sites such as Scholar Point offer a variety of toolsunderstand and apply for loans from the loan Stafford student loans for more parents and private education loans for students and graduates.

The researchers wanted

The others are and rarely used way to find money for college, and scholarships - to ask, ask. Consultants often complain that, for many scholarships, but there are only a few people. They say that is a part of the problem is a misunderstanding that a student in sports or dohave the right to get from A to a scholarship.

But there is more than one billion U.S. dollars to the national and local government grants available, depending on the level of education, talent and background. Just look, and should not be a long task scholarship hunt. The websites of the College Board, you can find about 2,300 sources of college funding, as well as sites such as FastWeb, a personal matching grantProgram.

Reduce your costs

Spend the first two years in a public school can also significantly reduce the costs. School year community colleges are generally cheaper than four, and participation in, you like living at home to save money for food and shelter. If you decide to start a community school, make sure that courses are transferred to the University for four years, and they make a bachelor's degree. Discuss any concerns aboutCourses and transfer with the Registrar of the university.

With all these options and choices, you should never let the dream slip away to college to visit, regardless of their financial situation or circumstances.

No comments:

Post a Comment