Should you start your undergraduate education at a community college to save money? As usual, there is rarely a simply yes or no answer. So many factors for college success vary from institution to institution and so much depends on the individual that any answer is going to have to be qualified.
Public colleges and universities charge non-residents higher tuition than in-state residents. Therefore, students who want to attend an out-of-state public university often think they can simply move to the desired state and pay lower tuition. It’s generally not that easy. There’s a difference between establishing general residency and residency for tuition purposes. Each state has … Read more
There are two types of federal guaranteed student loans: subsidized and unsubsidized. The subsidy refers to the payment of interest while the student is attending school or is in a deferment or grace period. For qualified students, the federal government pays the interest on the loans and therefore “subsidizes” the student loan. Subsidized student loans … Read more
A gap year is time taken off (usually a year) after graduating from high school and before starting college. Gap years are common in places such as England and are becoming more popular in the United States. Gap years originate in the desire to take a break from the academic stress of high school before … Read more
The key to finding scholarships is to understand that most are targeted for specific student populations. This means two things. One, if you want a scholarship, you have to be part of that targeted population. Two, the people providing the scholarship what to get the information to the targeted students, not necessarily everyone who wants … Read more
Tuition discounting refers to the scholarships and grants colleges and universities provide to students. The Association of Government Boards of Universities and Colleges defines it as “Tuition discounting is the process by which the institution offsets its published tuition price (sticker price) with institutional grant aid for enrolling students.” The students are not paying full … Read more
Private education loans are loans to college students made by financial institutions such as banks and credit unions. The do not require students to complete the FAFSA and students receive the money directly from the lender. Many private loans appear to have lower interest rates than federal loans. However, these advertised rates are generally “best” … Read more
There are four types of federal loans. Three are loans to students and one is a loan to parents. The most common loan is the Direct Loan, formally known as the Stafford loan. These are direct loans to the student from the federal government. There are two types of Direct loans, subsidized and unsubsidized. Both … Read more
Most people can’t afford the published private school tuition. But most people don’t pay the listed price for private school tuition either. And while private colleges cost more than public schools, they usually provide more financial assistance than public schools. Consider the following information from College Data on two institutions: Item Texas State University Austin … Read more
