CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Financial Aid Experts Blog

Financial Aid Requirements - Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:14:08 -0600

Don't Lose Your Financial Aid Because of a Misunderstanding!

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 students rent textbooks to save money

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:15:26 -0600

College students rent textbooks to save money - washingtonpost.com

You may have noticed that your student is spending a fortune on text books. You can figure at least $1000 a year. If you are giving your student the money up front, they may be pocketing the money and skipping the purchase of some of the expensive texts.

Just like renting videos, your student can rent their books for half the amount. There are very few text books that your student will want to keep. The information changes by the year and by the professor. Renting is a great option.

So keep this information. There may be some books your student has not purchased yet - for this semester... Share this information with them.

For the Freshman students next year - gather this information now. Freshman are the largest group of students still shopping in the expensive college book store. Get smart early. Use the saved cash for something more fun than text books!

Article by, College Parenting Expert, Dr. Debi Yohn, whose advice on successfully getting college students through college with an emphasis on graduation and rewarding employment is sought by parents from around the world. Now for the first time, she reveals 27 Winning Strategies for Success - a guidebook geared to parents of new college students. Get her free e-Book now at http://www.collegeparentsadvice.com/ and improve your child's chances of a successful college experience.

Paying for College in 2010

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 07:10:00 -0600

A Guide for Parents and Students

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.

School Grants Are the Best Way to Help Pay for College

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:20:06 -0600

No matter what age you are, choosing to enroll in college is a big decision. And with the high price tag of a college education, most people cannot afford to pay a tuition bill, no matter how "affordable" the university claims it to be. What more students need to take advantage of are
school grants.

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.

The Best Financial Advice: Graduate in Four Years

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:22:10 -0600

On Campus: Advice to college students: Graduate in four years

As parents, be wise and add up the time your child will be your dependent as a college student. Pay attention to the classes they are dropping, the class loads they are taking and the majors they are changing. All of these event EXTENDS their time in college.

Many students are in no hurry. The life of a student is not that bad when you add up the hours they are in class per week - 15 to 18 hours if they are taking an average load of 15 credits. The rest of the time - FREE. yes, it is suppose to be for study but look at the coffee houses, the quad, student union, the basket ball courts... These kids have a lot of free time.

Best On-Campus Jobs for College Students

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:26:49 -0600

Best Campus Jobs

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.

10 Ways Parents Can Cut College Costs Now For Their Senior High School Student

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:24:13 -0600

Although some colleges and universities, like Harvard and the University of California system, have introduced programs to ease the burden of tuition on their students, paying for college in today's economy is still tough. And going to college in Canada, where tuition costs are considerably lower than they are here in the U.S., isn't an option for everyone. The following tips from Marc Hill could be helpful.

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.

How To Pay For College

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:43:17 -0600

Like many parents with college bound students, we saw our daughter's 529 college fun dip after last fall's stock market fiasco. Luckily, she had applied herself the summer before her senior year started, and was awarded a full-ride scholarship. Students, finding a scholarship is like [finding] a job. You're getting paid to go to school, so it takes time and effort to hunt down, apply and interview for scholarships. Apply the same amount of work and goals as [you would] if you were working and saving to buy a car. The goal is to be debt free, not debt ridden before you go to school. Continue reading ...

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?

Are you a single mother looking for help with college costs?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:38:06 -0600

Beware of scams. Free college almost always involves a few strings attached. But there are options that can help bring down the cost of college, and many of them don't require that you pay the money back. No student loans to pay back.

College Work study is a good option. Students can go to college and get work experience at the same time? College work study can help pay your tuition while giving you the skills you need to move into a new job. Those who are in college work study can often qualify for other resources. The work study might not pay for everything, but it will definitely make reduce the cost.

Economic Downturn Makes Paying for College Tougher for Some

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:29:52 -0600

Attending college means an increased chance of finding a good paying entry level job after graduation, but more and more students are finding it difficult to afford college. Financial aid has been a way for many college students to attain a degree, but some recent changes have reduced the financial aid packages for some families. Most states saw their state allowance for financial aid from the federal government drastically reduced.

The biggest affect of these changes has been inflicted upon middle class families. The biggest impact for some students in terms of financial aid would be with their Pell Grant awards. Some students would see decreases in their awards and some would lose their allocation entirely.

Many college students are turning to alternate ways of making money, such as obtaining paid internships and co-ops. These internships and co-ops not only provide some income for the students, but also help them to get real world experience, which will prove valuable in their job searches when they graduate.

College students have also found that even unpaid internships provide great dividends. As they conduct their searches for entry level jobs, a lot of recent graduates have seen that the experience they gained from their internships helps them secure the best, highest paying jobs in a competitive market.

Recent graduates of today face more challenges than graduates from the past decade, thanks to the downturn in the economy. Reduced financial aid packages will make it tougher for future graduates to repay student loans. Fortunately, schools like Harvard University and the University of California system are doing what they can to ease the financial burden of higher education.

Article by freelance writer

Financial Aid for Occupational Therapists

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:08:14 -0600

Everyday day life comes up with its own twists and turns. The ability of to overcome certain situations depends upon the means that are used. Earning a degree in Occupational Therapy can be a gateway to a variety of profitable career opportunities, but there is a problem in how people get to that degree. Education is expensive, and for a graduate student, it might not be easy to afford the fee required to pursue education. Thus financial assistance has been made available to graduate students throughout the country as a way to cover the costs associated with university attendance. The financial aid available is either in the form of a grant, a scholarship, a fellowship or a loan. Continue reading ...

Richard Hemby is a writer who regularly writes about online degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, an online college directory and comparison website.

Financial Aid Basics

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:39 -0600

Many families would not be able to afford to send their children to colleges without financial aid. Usually, the government and separate private and public organizations award financial aid to students, known as federal aid and private aid, respectively. Students are generally considered for grants and scholarships, but if you wish to apply for a student loan or a work-study or service program, you must indicate it on the applications. Grants and scholarships award a certain amount of money to students, which the student doesn't have to repay. Student loans, on the other hand, award a student a certain amount of money that accumulates interest over a period of time, depending on the type of loan; the student must then repay the amount of the loan plus the interest after college. If none of these financial aid options seems appealing, there are two other ways to pay for college. The work-study and service programs both help students attend college for little to no price if the student works while attending school or participates in a service program during or before attending school. For more information on the different grants, scholarships, and loans, and for the schools and organizations that participate in work-study and service programs, read the informational articles in this section. Continue reading ...

Richard Hemby is a writer who regularly writes about online degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, an online college directory and comparison website.

50 Free Resources to Find a College Scholarship, Loan or Grant

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:31:37 -0600

Hi All,

I was contacted by a blog UniversityOnline.org because they thought their article entitled "Top 50 Free Websites to Look for Scholarships" would be of interest to my readers. Their blog focuses on resources to obtain an online education, but this article is not specific to scholarships for online educational institutions.

Here's the intro to the article and a few of the college scholarship resources on their list. To see the entire list of 50, click here:

Trying to find a scholarship to fund your college education can seem like the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. Besides, don't scholarships only go to the super smart, over-achiever types? Not necessarily.

Use these free search tools and website to find lots of scholarships, financial aid and information on applying for scholarships the right way. Sign up for a free email account to use specifically for scholarship searching. It will save you time and headaches if you use a separate email address because you could end up with a bunch of junk emails as you give out your personal information to some websites.

General Scholarship Search Tools

1. FastWeb - Fast Web allows students to search for scholarships based on their year in college, interests, major and region. Not only can students search for scholarships for free, but Fast Web has loads of articles on financial aid, student life and internship opportunities.

2. Scholarship Experts - Scholarship Experts was named "best scholarship search engine" by Forbes in its Best of the Web Review. Fill out the required information and you're on your way to finding a scholarship that fits your needs.

3. College Scholarships.org - College Scholarships.com has been helping students find money for college for free since 1999. The web site also has student loan and grant information available.

4. College Scholarships.com - College Scholarships.com allows students to search for scholarships and review scholarship essay samples for free.

5. Scholarships.com - Search for over 2.7 million scholarships with Scholarships.com's free search tool. Or students can create a profile and have matching scholarships and grants sent to them from the database.

6. College Board: Scholarship Search - College Board allows members to access, save and compare scholarship information from its database. Just sign up for a free account and start looking for free ways to fund your education.

They list 44 more in the article, so check it out!

Bye for now.

Article by Lisa Orrell, Millennial & Generation Relations Expert and courtesy of Lisa's Generation Relations Blog

Have You Been Denied Financial Aid? Appeal!

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:23:12 -0600

If you have been denied financial aid, did you know you can appeal to your college's financial aid office and explain why you need financial help? Christopher Penn, founder and host of the Financial Aid Podcast, says an appeal has a better chance of succeeding if you can prove that you need aid for one of the following three reasons:

1. The student's cost of attendance is higher than the college figured, perhaps because of expenses like child care or unusual transportation needs.

2. There has been a loss of income due to the student or parent losing a job or taking a pay cut.

3. There has been a special circumstance. This would be a recent divorce or medical emergency.

SolvayCARES Scholarship Contest Celebrating 17 Years of Helping Students With CF Pay for College

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:39:01 -0600

Around this time last year, I wrote an article about Solvay Pharmaceuticals' annual SolvayCARES "Thriving Student Achiever" scholarship contest, which has been helping students with Cystic Fibsosis - an inherited, chronic disease of the lungs and digestive system - to realize their dreams of going to college for the past 17 years. This year, it seems Solvay has found a way to make everyone a winner.

In addtion to all forty finalists receiving $2,500 to use during the academic year, Solvay also awarded $500 scholarships to every qualified applicant, so no one went home empty handed. To honor the contest's 17th anniversary, Solvay will award this year's scholarship winner with $17,000 to pay for college expenses.

This year, the students wrote an essay entitled "My dream for the future is ..." in addition to submitting works of art such as poems, photographs and original songs.

Voting, which began on September 15, 2009 and will conclude just before midnight on October 15, 2009, can be done online at www.SolvayCARESScholarship.com, by calling 888-305-9808 and following the instructions, or by texting VOTE1, VOTE2, etc - depending on the finalist chosen - to 30364. Only one vote per phone number or email address will be accepted; however, a person can vote once online, then once again either by phone call or text message for his/her favorite finalist.

Click here to learn more about voting and contest rules.