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.

Continue reading "10 Ways Parents Can Cut College Costs Now For Their Senior High School Student" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 6, 2009 at 6:24 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

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?

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 5, 2009 at 1:43 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I know I sound like a broken record but I am reading article after article on college debt. Sallie Mae just released some statistics. Sallie Mae is one of the nations largest student loan organizations. What caught my eye is that the college student is carrying an excess of $3000 in CREDIT CARD debt.

This is what the report shows:

• 84% of college students have a credit card


• The average number of credit cards is 4.6


• Half of students have 4 or more credit cards


• 21% have a balance between $3,000 and $7,000!


• 19% of college seniors have balances above $7,000


• Only 11% of students have a $0 balance


• 80% have been surprised at their balances


• 68% have made a purchase knowing they didn't have the money to pay the bill


• 92% say they've used their card to pay for a college expense not covered by financial aid, mostly textbooks and school supplies

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.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 19, 2009 at 7:16 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

Students are using their credit cards for food, clothes, cosmetics... During orientation, credit card companies are on campus in droves. Credit card companies have come under fire for this but they are still there.

I caution students not to fall for the "deals" offered by these companies. Free "T-Shirts", water bottles etc... are offered.

Here are some stats by college year:

67% of Freshmen have credit cards

90% of Juniors have credit cards

88% of Seniors have credit cards

Since 2004, there has been and increase of 60% of students carrying credit cards and 35% of the students report that they do not discuss credit cards with their parents.

Students need to have credit education BEFORE getting that first credit card. Adults have a problem with credit cards so why would we expect anything different from our young adults.

How will you discuss this with your student? Have you considered a debit card instead of a credit card?

Be sure to see my blog for even more information on credit cards...

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.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 19, 2009 at 7:13 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As college tuitions continue to increase, students are looking for ways to compensate. One of the ways they've chosen is to push themselves to graduate in three years. According to the Campus Career Counselor newsletter, students and colleges alike are onboard with reducing the amount of debt students face after graduation. Students also view graduating early as an extra year to "earn a salary."

Some worry that students may be solving one problem by creating another. That's not necessarily the case. There are ways to reduce the number of years spent in college without taking on too much at once. The CLEP and DANTES tests allow students to earn college credits and save money.

The cost of going to college isn't likely to go down any time soon, if at all. If students can handle the work load required to help them graduate a year early, it's okay. Only time will tell whether taking on 20 or more credits per semester is too much for the average college student to handle.

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 16, 2008 at 7:42 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Armed with a credit card his freshman year at Loyola University, Jason Power took full advantage of one of his favorite cities—Chicago. There were concerts and plays, movies and restaurants, and Power decided to enjoy it all.

Continue reading "Financial Responsibility: The New Independent You" »

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 29, 2007 at 5:33 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Every generation has had to scimp and save in order to afford to go to college, but none has faced the severe challenges that this generation is facing. According to the Washington Post, today's college graduates are plagued by money-related issues more "than any generation before them." Todd Romer of Young Money magazine adds that if today's college graduates "were not able to save and be frugal during college, they'll still need to attempt to be frugal in those first few years after college."

Continue reading "Average Student Loan Debt is $25,760" »

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on December 1, 2006 at 7:29 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Most people don't know it, but a bad or shady debt reduction company can actually land you in a worse spot financially than you were in the beginning. In fact, in many cases filing bankruptcy is preferable to working with a credit counseling company. Given the amount of confusing information out there, it is critical that you arm yourself with the truth about these businesses.

WARNING: Credit Counseling Isn't Always What It Appears

When you first start out, you go over all your debts with a counselor. They contact each of your creditors to lower your interest rates, which lower your payments. Together, you develop a strict budget. They hold you to this budget by asking for one lump payment from you each month, which they then use to pay your bills on your behalf.

Unfortunately, this sunny scenario hides the real truth. Yes, for a fee, credit counselors will ask your credit card companies to lower your interest rates—but you can do that yourself. Yes, for a fee, they will help you develop a budget—but you can do that yourself. Yes, for a fee, they will take one large payment from you each month and use it to pay some of your bills—but you can do that yourself, too. In fact, you can do it better.

Continue reading "Debt Secrets Credit Counseling Companies Don’t Want You To Know" »

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on July 17, 2006 at 7:43 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you are struggling to afford just the minimum payments on your credit cards, you are not alone. A large percentage of the people you pass on the street each day as you go from class to class are suffering under the weight of the exact same stress. They are also concerned about upcoming (or past) due dates and an ever-increasing credit card debt balance.

You don't have to continue to lose sleep worrying about your debts, but you do need to take action—today. Little by little, one-step at a time; you can change your credit situation from an ongoing nightmare to a bad dream of the past.

Continue reading "Credit Card Payment Strategies for College Students & Recent Graduates: Beat Credit Card Debt Nightmares That Keep People Awake At Night" »

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on July 9, 2006 at 6:21 PM | Leave a Comment (0)