If you're a current or future college student, chances are good that you're considering a student loan. Before you make any decisions, it pays to understand the basic principles behind borrowing. All loans consist of three components: The interest rate, security component and term. The Interest Rate The interest rate is the lender's charge for the use of their money. The ...

I have been divorced for more than 10 years and receive a small amount of child support from my ex-husband. At the time of the divorce, I agreed to let my him claim my daughter on his income tax return during the odd years. He does not cooperate with any other expenses, so the bulk falls on me. He is anxiously ...

The Obama administration revealed the final design for a standardized financial aid award letter on July 24, 2012. This one-page financial aid "shopping sheet" will provide students and their families with clear and easy to understand information about college costs and financial aid. It will enable families to compare college costs and financial aid offers side by side, helping them make ...

A computer for college is essential but can add a hefty expense to your budget, so choose wisely. Consider these points when computer shopping: Desktop or Laptop? Laptops are more portable and since many campuses and public areas provide wireless Internet service, you won’t be limited to your dorm room to work. If your courses will involve travel or fieldwork, a ...

There are many myths about who wins private scholarships and the benefits of winning scholarships. These myths can be harmful if they give students and their families unrealistic expectations about their ability to win scholarships. Some myths cause students to underestimate their eligibility for scholarships, discouraging them from applying for scholarships. Other myths cause students and parents to overestimate their eligibility ...

The US House of Representatives approved the student loan and health care reform legislation on Sunday night, March 21, 2010, by a vote of 220 to 211. No Republicans voted in favor of the legislation. The US Senate is expected to pass the legislation within about a week. The student loan bill will end the federally-guaranteed student loan program, where banks ...

Though federal student loans (such as the Federal Stafford Loan) help many students to attend college, families often find that even the maximum loan amounts are not enough to pay for their education. For instance, the average cost of attendance at a four-year public school today is $12,796 and at a four-year private school, it’s $30,367— yet the most money first-year ...

The price of textbooks has risen at twice the rate of inflation (.pdf) over the last 20 years according to the Government Accountability Office. Even used books don't soften the blow. What's a student with a bruised bank account to do? Net Yourself a Used Textbook Amazon, Abebooks and eBay are familiar resources. Other Web sites (like Campusi) list available titles ...

A common scholarship myth is that millions of dollars go unclaimed each year, and it is exactly that: a myth. But there’s another way to save money that has gone untapped by thousands of students and their families, a source of help “hidden” in plain sight. It’s so hidden, students failed to take advantage of millions of dollars in benefits, according ...

There are many ways in which grandparents can help their grandchildren pay for a college education. These include legacy scholarships and tuition assistance programs, educational awards for volunteering and community service, college savings plans and direct gifts. Scholarships for Grandchildren Very few scholarships are based on a grandparent's affiliations. There are many more awards based on a parent's affiliations. However, sometimes ...

If she wanted to save money on tuition, Erin Patterson had to make some money quickly. As an out-of-state student at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Patterson needed to earn a certain amount on her W-2 in order to claim residency and thus lower her tuition bill. “I had no intention of becoming a resident of Missouri when I started college, but ...

If you've never set eyes on a Student Aid Report (SAR) before, it can be a dizzying experience. What do all those acronyms and numbers mean? It all looks so official and important. If you've recently submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) you can expect to receive a SAR in return. And while the SAR is long on ...

Suppose you've made the required payments on all your loans and want to use some extra money to pay off your debt quicker. How do you choose which loan to pay off first? There are two main strategies for accelerating the repayment of debt. One involves paying down the loan with the highest after-tax interest rate first. The other, popularized by ...

Too much of a good thing can be bad, as Shakespeare demonstrated, and the axiom is true of student borrowing for college. Students may believe it is difficult enough worrying about the big exam next week or whom to take to the spring dance. Yet students must stretch themselves and imagine a much greater consequence, years into the future, when they ...

There are a variety of national, state and local programs that encourage families to save for college by providing families with free money. There are two main types of such programs: 1. Birthday Present. Such programs provide contributions of $100 to $1,000 as seed money in the college savings plan when the parents open a new 529 college savings plan before ...

The Hope Scholarship provides a federal income tax credit of up to $2,500 (40% refundable) per student based on the first $4,000 in postsecondary tuition, fees and course materials paid by the taxpayer during the tax year. The Hope Scholarship tax credit is 100% of the first $2,000 and 25% of the second $2,000. The tax credit is limited to the ...

Newspaper headlines suggest that many students graduate from college with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. But is this really the case? A new report, Who Graduates College with Six-Figure Student Loan Debt?, finds that only 0.2% of undergraduate students and 6.4% of graduate students graduated with $100,000 or more in student loans in 2007-08. Far from being ...

There are many options for repayment relief for borrowers who are having trouble repaying their education loans. These include deferments and forbearances that suspend the monthly payment obligation, alternate repayment plans that reduce the monthly payments by increasing the loan term, and forgiveness and discharge programs that cancel the loans entirely. Which options are appropriate for you depends in part on ...

Are your student loans piling up? Depending on your future plans, you may be able to find relief. Loan forgiveness programs can help by canceling some, or all, of you debt in exchange for some type of public service. Low-income School Programs There are several federal loan forgiveness programs designed for students who become full-time teachers in elementary or secondary schools ...

Wondering how to maximize your financial aid package? Got a specific student aid question you can't find the answer to? No matter what is its, if you've got a financial aid question, "Kantro" has the answer. Mark Kantrowitz is one of the top financial aid experts in the country and he's answering YOUR questions, here on FastWeb! Nationally recognized and often ...