To continue to be eligible for all available Financial Aid Student must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Before receiving financial aid students are required to complete what is called an entrance interview online that covers the requirements for SAP. Students are told to read a study guide, and then are required to pass a test. Unfortunately the test is way too easy and some of the questions have links to hints that contain the answer. Many students who pass the test are unable to correctly answer simple questions regarding SAP guidelines.

Many students lose their financial aid due to SAP issues that could have easily been avoided, if the student was properly educated regarding the policies and how they are calculated. I will cover all the info parents and students need to know, and clear up a few common misunderstandings along the way.

There are separate GPA requirements for new students, and students with over 32 credits (juniors and up). For students with less than 32 credit hours a GPA of 1.7 is required. Once a student has earned at least 32 credits, they are required to maintain a 2.0 GPA. Sap reviews are conducted after Spring Semester every year so if you have a rough Fall Semester you can make up for it with a strong showing in the spring. Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. Continue reading ...

College tuitions increase every year, regardless of the state of the economy. In Pittsburgh, there was even talk about a tuition tax, proposed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, to help the city raise $16 million for its 2010 budget. According to the Pitt News, the tax was removed from consideration when the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and health insurance provider, Highmark, stepped forward and offered to increase their charitable donations to the city in exchange for elimination of the proposed one percent tuition tax; Ravenstahl agreed.

Even without the extra strain of a tuition tax, like the one proposed in Pittsburgh, paying for college is difficult. Knowing how much money to save and how to save it are questions on the minds of many parents and potential college students. An article in the December 2009/January 2010 issue of Reader's Digest, The Best Way to Pay for College, by Lisa Goff, offered a lot of helpful hints.

1. 529 Savings Plan - Parents have a choice of either a pre-paid tuition account, which guards against tuition increases but is only used in 18 states and parents can lose money if the family moves to another state, or the savings account plan. Both plans are tax free, but they're also subject to plummet if the economy should take a turn for the worse again.

2. Mutual funds - These are combined investments in stocks and bonds. What separates mutual funds from 529 plans is that the money in a mutual fund can be used for any purpose, at any time, without penalty.

3. UPromise - Parents have to already have a 529 plan established in order to participate in UPromise. The big plus is that anybody can contribute to the child's education by joining UPromise, then shopping online, buying groceries from participating vendors, or eating in participating restaurants.

4. Personal savings - Purchasing certificates of deposit (CD's) or opening a money market or regular savings account can be helpful, especially if parents have portions of their paychecks direct deposited into their children's college savings accounts.

Students have options open to them, too. In addition to any savings accounts their parents may have, a student who is old enough to work, could get a part-time job after school, then have a portion of his paycheck direct deposited into a savings account of his own or to the one his parents have already started. Another option available to high school students is scoring well on the PSAT. It's not just an SAT prep test; it's a means to qualifying for a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship for students who do well. Younger students, 13 and older, are eligible for scholarships, too. FinAid has all the information parents and students need to get started.

Finally, students who have an interest in military service can choose to either attend a military school or join the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). Military schools are free and ROTC offers merit-based scholarships that cover a student's full tuition, in exchange for an extended active duty commitment, according to Wikipedia. Both require a commitment to military service right after graduation.

Applying for federal grants, loans and scholarships should be one of the first things students and parents do, once they've compiled a list of prospective colleges and universities, but saving for college should start as early as possible.

School grants are different than scholarships and loans. Scholarships are given by the college or university and are offered to students based on academic or athletic performance. In order to keep the scholarship, the student must hold a certain GPA and/or remain on the sports team, depending on the criteria of the scholarship. Loans on the other hand, are borrowed money that needs to be paid back to the school or state once the student graduates. Continue reading ...

Article by, Valerie Carver and courtesy of Associated Content, Inc.

During these troubled financial times, finding a good job is difficult. And, for today's college students, newfound independence comes with a price- some degree of financial responsibility. With parents already financially strapped, students have to find ways to cover some of their own costs. Finding an on campus job will be a great help for so many reasons; however, some campus jobs are better than others for college students. Here are a few suggestions of primo college employment opportunities.

Campus Guides/Student Ambassadors

Welcome to college! One of the first people you'll meet won't be the President or a Professor, it will be a campus guide or a student ambassador. All colleges have them and it's a wonderful job for students. Work hours are easy to schedule around classes. This position also is a great resume boost for those interested in marketing and community service positions. Little experience is necessary. All you need is a positive attitude, a welcoming smile and great walking shoes. Continue reading ...

Article by, Ramona Taylor and courtesy of Associated Content, Inc.

1. Apply early in your senior year - which means apply now! Colleges go under extreme amounts of pressure to meet early deadlines for enrollment goals. To help meet their goals, some institutions will award merit scholarships to students who apply early in their senior year. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce the cost your family pays out of pocket for college. So get busy filling out college applications now.

3. Have your child enroll for a 2-year program first, and then transfer to his or her desired school. This will help you reduce your college costs, but you must make sure that your child's credits are transferable. Additionally, be aware that some schools limit financial aid packages to transfer students. Planning is the key!

4. Understand that most university placement exams don't lead to college credits. In other words, a placement examination merely transfers a student out of a particular class. The original graduation credit requirements still apply and, thus, so do the associated costs. On the other hand, incorporating successful AP or AP alternative testing, reduces graduation credits and college costs. So be sure and check with your considered universities as to their acceptance of these credits and devise a plan that can help you improve your college financial experience.

5. Don't fall into the "there is only one right college for my child" trap! This costly mindset means that you limit yourself to that particular university's financial aid resources and you completely eliminate the use of competing award letters. A good college exploration process will produce many "right colleges" to consider, which can lead to big college cost savings.

6. If you are applying for financial aid at an institution that uses the FAFSA application, keep in mind that the methodology used in computing your EFC takes into account the age of the oldest parent. As the eldest parent matures, your EFC should decrease. Therefore, if the eldest parent has a birthday in January of the year in which FAFSA application is submitted, you may want to consider signing the financial aid application on the day of or after your birthday. This may reduce your EFC and could lead to a reduction in your total costs. And, make sure you get your financial aid applications in correctly and by the schools priority deadline, if not sooner.

7. Understanding how each prospective institution packages its financial aid is an essential part of receiving the "best" financial aid package. Many universities are required to include a minimum amount of self-help aid before any grant or gifted (free) money is awarded. Self-help aid includes interest-subsidized or unsubsidized loans and work-study programs that must be repaid through financial obligation or service to the school or state. So, what's the best strategy for big savings? Applying to schools that historically award a higher percentage of grants or gifted money and a lower "self-help level" can stretch your educational dollars.

8. Apply to schools that are "looking" for your student. Post-secondary institutions attempt to meet enrollment goals by giving better financial aid packages to students that they feel offer the "best fit" for their school. Understanding what your selected institutions are looking for and matching your needs to theirs, can improve your chances of receiving a generous package. A good starting point would be to go to the schools website, enter the phrase "Freshman Class Profile" into the search box. Click the search button and let the Internet do its magic. And if your child is a good "match," never underestimate the power of a few phone calls. Establishing relationships with the admissions, financial aid, academic personnel and area alumni representative prior to formal application can go a long way in reducing out of pocket expenses.

9. Understand the demographics of the Freshman Class Profile. If your daughter wants to major in an area that is typically dominated by males and she is in the top 20-25% of the incoming freshman class, the college could be more willing to reach out to her with an award package that consists of more institutional money vs. an award package loaded up with loans.

10. Get a handle on the geographic regions that the majority of the incoming freshman class is from. You can to use this to your economic advantage. Let's say your daughter is from a small city in the west like Estes Park, CO. She has her heart set on pursuing a male dominated major, like engineering, at a school located in the New York area. Chances are that school can get as many students from the New York area as they want, but they may not be able to get that many from Estes Park, CO. Your daughter may be able to add some much needed "diversity" to the student population and the college may be willing to pay for that diversity.

Careful planning and research could make all the difference in the world, especially for students whose families are on tight budgets.

Marc Hill is a financial planner, who coaches and educates hard-working American families on how they can afford college by dramatically reduce their child's college costs up to $12K! Now you can learn how to cut your family's college costs and protect your retirement account with Hill's FREE e-newsletter: "College Savings Tip Sheet." Get two free issues now at: http://www.reduceyourcollegecosts.info

Lisa Hill is an Education Technology consultant. She maintains an education technology review blog at www.SchoolTechTalk.com. A picture tells a thousand words. A face launched a thousand ships. What will your story effect?