Category Archives: Student debt

admissions, financial aid, parenting, Student debt

When Your Teen Gets Into Their Dream College—But You Can’t Afford It

dream college
Image by Carla Bosteder from Pixabay

When my daughter opened the email, I saw the joy light up her face. Congratulations! She got in. She did it. Her dream college, the one she had been talking about for years, was offering her a spot.

For a moment, everything felt perfect.

I let myself soak in her excitement. I hugged her tightly. I even let myself imagine what it would be like—move-in day, walking around that beautiful campus, wearing the school sweatshirt with pride. I thought about all the years of hard work, the late-night study sessions, the endless applications, the moments of doubt she had overcome. This was supposed to be it.

Then, the financial aid package arrived.

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FAFSA, financial aid, Student debt, student loans

Will the Funding Freeze Impact Federal Direct Loans and Pell Grants?

funding freeze
Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

There has been a fury of panic over the last several weeks as students and families received the news of federal funding freeze. Students all over Reddit were having meltdowns fearing they would not be able to finish college without this funding. That is not the case.

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financial planning, Student debt, student loans

Tips for Finding the Best Student Loan

student loan
Image by 3D Animation Production Company from Pixabay

For many students across the country, taking out a student loan is the only way they can afford to get the education they want and need.

While other options, like scholarships or financial aid, are available for students meeting the criteria for others whose parents can help them or can’t cover the entire four-year tuition, student loans can bridge the gap and are a necessary evil.

However, not all student loans are the same. Understanding the financial agreement you’re signing up for and knowing how to find the best student loans can empower you, giving you the control to avoid some of the common pitfalls of student loans and make more informed decisions. So here goes.

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financial aid, financial planning, Student debt, student loans

Exploring the Various Types of Government Student Loans

government student loans

Government student loans play a significant role in providing financial assistance to students who aspire to achieve their academic goals.

Education is a key investment in one’s future, and for many students, financing their education becomes a crucial aspect of pursuing higher studies. With so much confusion these days over which government loans are best and what the difference is, I felt it was time to simplify it for you and create a list along with the specifics on each.

Following are the various types of government student loans available to students in the United States.

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financial aid, financial planning, Student debt, student loans

Avoid High Student Loan Debt with these Financial Strategies

student loan debt

Paying for college today can be stressful. Reading all the posts from parents on Facebook underscores the fact that college is expensive and parents are trying to pay for it without borrowing or graduating with massive student loan debt.

According to the Education Data Initiative:

Student loan debt in the United States totals $1.766 trillion.

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Guest Posts, Student debt, student loans

Restoring Education’s Promise with Responsible Student Loan Borrowing

Today’s guest post is by Bob Collins, VP of Financial Aid at Western Governors University.

student loan borrowing

WGU students graduate with half the debt of their peers nationwide

Education is linked to the eradication of poverty and the promotion of prosperity, but evidence that college students graduate with excessive debt continues to pile up year after year. With student interest rates at their highest in the last decade, our current economy serves as a reminder that students should make informed decisions to borrow wisely.

Western Governors University (WGU) was established in 1997 with a mission to expand access to high-quality, online and affordable higher education. WGU serves more than 150,000 students nationwide and has more than 340,000 graduates in all 50 states.

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financial planning, Guest Posts, Student debt, student loans

Back to School: 9 Tips for Managing Your Finances

finances

With consumer finances facing further turbulence following the announcement of the August resumption of U.S. student loan repayment, young Americans are bracing themselves for a financial squeeze in advance of the holidays.

With evidence that shoppers are already showing caution – the savings experts at SimplyCodes have put together some practical money advice for young consumers on how to navigate an increasingly compressed disposable income and how to better manage student loan repayments being back on the list of monthly expenses.

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college costs, financial aid, Student debt, Uncategorized

Borrowing More for College Than You Can Repay

borrowing

I have had some serious conversations recently with a parent and student who applied to college, was accepted, and was shocked at the cost. The parent didn’t want to disappoint her daughter. The daughter wanted desperately to go to an out of state college that would cost over $50,000 per year with no financial aid.

After speaking with the daughter at length, she decided to defer for a year, work, save her money and apply for scholarships. Taking out loan was not appealing to either of them and I completely agreed.

Parents and students should consider college funding even before their student applies to college. The inevitable result is the parents and students borrowing to pay and usually borrowing more than they can repay after graduation.

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college guidance, college jobs, Student debt

Jobs for College Students

Many college students will need to work in order to help pay their way through college. As their parents, this is something you should definitely encourage as it will teach them the value of hard work and the importance of paying for one’s way through life.

There are lots of jobs that college students can take on from working fast food to helping out in the college library, and you and your kids have probably already considered them, but there are also some lesser-known options that might be more rewarding in terms of job satisfaction and financial remuneration, so let’s take a look at a few of them right now.

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financial planning, Student debt

Teach Your Teen Financial Literacy

financial literacy

With all the talk of having student loan debt erased, I wonder what are we teaching our children? For students to think it’s perfectly fine to refuse to pay a debt, a debt that paid for their education, something has gone horribly wrong.

I agree. Student debt is crippling this generation of students. But instead of forgiving the debt, wouldn’t it be better to teach these students some basic financial literacy? Where is the disconnect? Did the parents not explain the ramifications of debt? Did the colleges not take the time to discuss repayment amounts and the consequences of borrowing too much to pay for college? I think both are at fault.

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