How To Pay For College?
This is the question that will be popping more and more often as your children are getting close to college-going age. The good news is that there are several options available to prospective students and their parents to help you pay for college. Tuition plus room and board at a private college in the US is on average around $35 000, and this amount is increasing by between 4 and 7% annually.
You might have to work through the years to pay the tuition as your child attends college, if your savings aren’t enough to cover college expenses. This can be quite a burden in addition to your normal living expenses. However,there are a number of financial aid options available.
Need-based Aid is available for students based on the total cost of their education and the family’s capability to pay. Need-based aid may come in the form of a low-interest student or parental loans, federal or institutional grants, or a work-study program subsidized by the Federal Government.
Federal Student loans the Perkins and Stafford loans – give students loans with lower interest rates that are accrued only after repayments start. Private student loans are available to students as well.
With repayments starting 60 days after the loan had been disbursed, the PLUS loan (Parent Loan to Undergraduate Students) gives parents low-interest loans too.
The main advantage with grants is that they don’t need to be repaid. Awarded by federal and state governments, grants are also awarded by individual colleges. They are awarded based on financial need, and can help fund the gap between what parents can pay, and the tuition fees.
Work study programs are one way for students to earn money. Jobs could be inside the campus, like being a library assistant, dining hall worker and so on, or they can be outside the campus working for nonprofit organizations or other government agencies. Usually requiring 10 to 15 hours a week, work is scheduled around the student’s classes.
Merit-based scholarships are awarded based on academic, artistic, musical or athletic abilities, but are not available at all colleges. Highly sought after, they provide full tuition and room and board.
Students can also earn money working while in college. Summer internships and co-op programs provide students with the opportunity to supplement their income while gaining useful work experience and insight into their possible career paths.
All of these options can help parents pay for their child s college education. With the statistics showing that college graduates earn up to 60% higher than people with no college education, your child will reap the benefits later in life, even if it means paying loans for a while.
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