Every family’s financial situation is different, so there is no one answer to how to help a pay for college. In some cases, a parent is able to set up a college account early in the child’s life so that money is available for college at the right time. If financial aid is a possibility or necessity, a parent should fill out and help file forms in a timely manner, so the parent must be aware of deadlines. Colleges are very good about posting the expected cost of attendance, and both parent and student need to be aware of those amounts. In some cases where a family is able to provide some financial assistance, there may be loans made, but repayment terms and conditions need to be clear. Sometimes, working parents set up a transfer mechanism to a student’s bank account when it is time to pay for expenses for books, food or other expenses. The parent should be clear about budgets up front.
Have a plan two years before financial aid application. find out how much is the total cost and find out your own financial aid qualification the gap between needs and qualfication can be solved by parents plus loan pick the right college can save money
If affordability is high on your value list, the good news is that there are ways to attend college without depleting savings or taking on exorbitant amounts of debt. First, don’t get caught up with the rankings. There are still many gems that may not be household names, but which provide a high quality education and offer money to students they hope to attract. Many people are often surprised to learn that only a handful of highly selective schools do not offer some form of merit aid.
Fill out the FASFA and CSS Profile if applicable
No, not LeBron James. Although I know he’s not worried about money, in fact, he’s never even had to worry about college. It is more than likely your kiddo is not in this position.
The types of financing are as follows: Savings, Jobs, Work-Study, Grants, Scholarships from federal sources, Scholarships from institutional sources, Scholarships from corporations or private organizations, Federal Loans (Perkins, Stafford and Parent Plus) and Private Loans. Make certain that you file your FAFSA online in January. Help your student research possible scholarships. Be aware of loan options.
Set up a college fund for them and be clear on how much you can afford. Apply to public and private colleges. After FA and scholarships the private colleges, particularly those that try to minimize loans may be more affordable. Realistically your child will not be able to pay for college on their own, given the cost of tuition. The cost needs to be a discussion for between parents and the student so that the best choice can be made by the family.
Anything you can do to keep your child from going in to debt while in school is fabulous! Even if you feel your student needs to “own” their degree, if you could offer them an opportunity to pay you back, interest free, that would be a bonus. There is nothing wrong with having a campus job. Studies show that a busy student is a better student, so don’t fall for the “I don’t have time” excuse. Make earning good grades their “job”, which may result in scholarship opportunities. Every family has different circumstances. Consult with you financial advisor early on in the process, so you are prepared when the time come.
The most direct way you can help is to have been saving, putting away as much as possible for as long as possible, beginning long before anyone was really giving any thought to college. However, but with the continuing rise in the cost of higher education even the most diligent savers may come up short and so you should also be sure to do all the paperwork—the government FAFSA forms and the College Board’s Profile are the primary ones—necessary to be considered for financial aid. There is more available than many people think but you cannot be eligible if you do not apply. Too help your child find a part time or summer job. The money can be helpful and the development of the additional sense of responsibility can also be valuable.
Well, I can share a few things that works in general and some things that worked personally for me. General: apply for as many scholarships as possible prior to enrolling and after enrolling. Scholarships are available continuously all of the time so putting in a little due diligence can help make the cost more conceivable. Also, having your student ask for on campus work opportunities; every area of the school uses student workers and they do not have to be work study students Personally: one of the most expensive parts of the school cost is (board or food), so after the first semester of paying more than $10 per swipe for a designated number of meals and realizing that my dollars were swiping in other students; I cancelled my daughter’s meal plan and simply put dollars into her account. Often times she and her friends did not eat on campus and at the end of the semester you do not receive the unused portion of that meal plan back. That saved me thousands over the past 4 years. She is a senior and has not had a meal plan since first semester freshmen year. “That was just my way to make it more affordable.” Additionally, she remained on campus all 4 years which alleviated the burden of outside expenses like utilities that she would incur if she moved into off campus housing. It was much cheaper and now she graduates with a maximum of $7000.00 debt rather than $20,000.00 and that includes studying abroad in Greece.
You can give them a debit card loaded with money for books and supplies, a local retailer card (Target?) for laundry soap and save up your miles/points for plane tickets or bus fare.
You better! Since students are limited on how much they can borrow, if you have a high EFC, and a large amount of unmet need, if you don’t help, they won’t be going to that college.
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