Getting the first loan seems a little bit like magic. For students who can't afford the school of their choice, student loans are a viable alternative. Apply for a loan and the money seems to appear as if out of thin air. But after the second one, it begins to sink in. At some point, the money has to be paid ...

Aaron Beswick, a SESP senior graduating this winter, barely has time to celebrate his graduation before he has to worry about repaying $32,000 in student loans. But new federal government initiatives plan to ease burdens like Beswick's with direct loans in which students borrow money straight from the government rather than bank lenders. The Income Based Repayment Plan allows for monthly ...

Oct. 25--Sure, you'll haggle at a garage sale and bargain at the flea market, but who dickers with colleges over the price of tuition? A few people, but many more should be, college advisors say, because schools are not turning away their advances. "The way that the schools do it, they don't want to call it discounting," said Jerry Slavonia, creator ...

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's plan to boost Pell Grants for low-income college students cleared the House education committee Tuesday, the first step down a long and potentially rocky path through Congress. The bill would link Pell Grants to inflation for the first time since the program's creation in 1972, raising the maximum grant from $5,500 to $6,900 over the next ...

Jul. 30--An estimated 100,000 Ohioans could see relief from costly student loans through legislation introduced yesterday by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. Brown's bill would allow college graduates and others who are no longer enrolled to swap their private loans for federal loans with lower interest rates. "Too many Ohioans are still paying for college decades after they graduate -- through private ...

HOUSTON -- One-third of students are changing their college plans because of the economy, according to the 2009 Back to College survey. The nationwide survey, conducted by Money Management International, a nonprofit full-service credit counseling organization, measured the toll of the economy on students' plans for attending and paying for college. Tuition, room, and board for the average undergraduate student in ...

The clock is ticking for Alisha Hull. She's been looking furiously for a job since she graduated from Ball State University in May with a degree in microbiology. But with the economy sagging and no real prospects in sight, the honors graduate soon will have to make that first payment on her $55,000 in student loans -- or ask her lenders ...

TROY, N.Y. - President Barack Obama says that by 2020 America will again have the world's highest proportion of college graduates. The president said Monday that a recent increase in Pell Grants will help the nation reach that goal. He made the remarks as he spoke at a community college in Troy, N.Y., which has been hit hard by the economic ...

BOULDER, Colo. -- Ryan Nowakowski -- a University of Colorado graduate with an aerospace engineering degree -- juggled jobs, sometimes working 40 hours while taking a full load of classes. That way, his paychecks helped cushion his debt load, paying for rent and his monthly $400 grocery bills. ("I'm 6'6 and eat like it's nobody's business," Nowakowski admits). But he used ...

Tens of thousands of veterans who headed to college this fall under a new GI Bill that promises to cover most, if not all, of their expenses are scrambling to pay bills because of delays in benefit checks, say students, colleges, and veterans groups. "The GI Bill is a mess," said Rutgers University-Camden freshman Robeen Billings, 24, a former naval electronics ...

Pima Community College (Tucson, Arizona) plans to pay Hispanic men to stay in school because their graduation rates are so low. Under a new program, called Gain, 500 men will be paid $1,500 each for successfully completing classes and utilizing some support services. Three private foundations are funding the program. Public tax money won't be used. The idea is to turn ...

Filling Out Your FastWeb Profile Completely Can Qualify You for Millions of Dollars More in Scholarships. The cost of higher education is skyrocketing and even one semester of college comes with a hefty price tag. With the average tuition price spiking again this Fall, thousands of soon-to-be or continuing students are on the hunt for financial aid. FastWeb's done the dirty ...

Oct. 18--Mention that you need to start saving for your child's college tuition and you will hear the same advice from many financial planners: Pay for it in advance. "Step one is, if you can lock in your costs at today's prices, do it," said Cathy Pareto, a certified financial planner in Coral Gables. That's because the costs of college are ...

Sep. 22--For private lenders, student loans are a sweetheart deal, a federal subsidy of sorts. They assume no risk, and a tidy profit is guaranteed. The federal government not only gives them a cut for making and administering student loans, but taxpayers back the loans if a borrower defaults. There's got to be a better way to help students and their ...

Oct. 16--Area college students with disabilities who are pursuing college degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics soon will be able to apply for scholarships to help them attend college. Auburn Montgomery and Alabama State University announced Thursday that they will receive a portion of a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help Alabama students with disabilities earn ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of students who hope to earn associate degrees offered by 37 career colleges across Ohio may not be able to afford to begin or continue with their education. That's because the new $50.5 billion 2-year state budget signed into law Friday by Governor Ted Strickland eliminates all state financial assistance. For the past 2 ...

INDIANAPOLIS, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- USA Funds , the nation's leading education loan guarantor, announces the award of nearly $3.4 million in scholarships to help 2,282 low to moderate income students nationwide pursue higher education. USA Funds awarded $1 million to 667 first-time recipients of USA Funds Access to Education Scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year. In addition, USA Funds awarded ...

Sep. 23--The U.S. House last week passed a student loan bill that was long overdue. The country has lost its edge as a world leader in the rate of college graduation, a status it must recover rapidly if it is to stay competitive globally. The rising cost of America's colleges and universities poses a growing obstacle for students. The majority of ...

WASHINGTON - The House voted Thursday in favor of the biggest overhaul of college aid programs since their creation in the 1960s - a bill to oust private lenders from the student loan business and put the government in charge. The vote was 253-171 in favor of a bill that fulfills nearly all of President Barack Obama's campaign promises for higher ...

CHICAGO - Young Americans showed their collective power when they helped vote President Obama into office. Inspired by his message of "change," they knocked on doors, spread flyers, voted for him by a 2-1 margin, and partied like rock-the-vote stars when he won. Since the election, though, that fervor has died down - noticeably. And while young people remain the president's ...