This year more than ever, the economy is making it more difficult for families to pay for college. The number of financial aid applications is up more than 10% over last year. Lenders are suspending loan programs and tightening credit standards. Families are concerned -- really concerned -- about obtaining loans and paying for college. Add in the possibility of job ...

The US House of Representatives passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (SAFRA) on September 17, 2009 by a party-line vote of 253 to 171. This legislation eliminates the federally-guaranteed student loan program and replaces it with 100% direct lending from the federal government. SAFRA uses the savings to fund an increase in the Pell Grant program among ...

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the stimulus bill, includes major increases in student aid funding for the 2009-10 academic year. It includes the largest dollar increase ever in the maximum Pell Grant and significantly expands the Hope Scholarship tax credit. It also increases funding for the Federal Work-Study and AmeriCorps programs. The legislation was signed ...

Sallie Mae and Gallup just released the results of a survey of how American families save for college. The survey found that most parents are continuing to save for college despite the economy and that saving for college slightly trails saving for retirement. More than 9 in 10 of the parents (92%) think that it is likely or very likely that ...

We asked FastWeb members whether they would consider staying in their home state after graduation if it meant they wouldn't have to pay back their student loans and here's what they had to say: "I definitely would stay in my home state for loan forgiveness. I have personally already been a college graduate for a year and see this as ...

Did you know that your children’s credit scores may be more important to their future than their academic transcripts? Or that 68 percent of high school and college students say they have never had a meaningful conversation with their parents about personal finances? What’s your reaction to an Indiana University administrator candidly admitting that they lose more students to credit cards ...

You're about to have a baby and you're already worrying about how to pay for their college education. Or your son or daughter just started high school and you read about some private colleges costing more than $50,000 a year. How are you going to be able to afford four years of a college education? Don't panic! The solution is to ...

Tom is a graduate student at a Midwestern university completing a major research and writing project on student credit card debt. When Tom was in college, he built up $15,000 of credit card debt because he never learned how to use credit cards responsibly. In some ways, Tom was fortunate. He didn’t suffer many of the consequences of getting into that ...

Progression has reached federal student aid as news that the FAFSA form will now recognize parents that are also same-sex couples. Currently, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid referred to “mother/stepmother” and “father/stepfather” in reference to obtaining information about an applicant’s parents. As a result, applicants with same-sex parents had no choice but to either choose to classify parents at ...

My twin daughters will be entering college in the fall. We have saved for their college education over the last 17 years. Presently the savings are held in two accounts each: a custodial account under the Uniform Transfer to Minor Act (UTMA) and in a Coverdell Education IRA account. I recently read that in connection with evaluating any possible financial aid ...

This article lists a dozen tips for asking for college savings cash as an alternative to traditional material gifts. It is a summary of the longer article, How To Ask Friends and Family for Money for a Child's College Savings Plan. 1. The only way to get a cash gift to a child's college savings plan is to ask. If you ...

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 ...

Over the last decade, colleges enjoyed double-digit increases in their endowments. A college’s endowment is not only a sign of an institution’s financial strength, but it also allows the institution to fund new projects. With alumni donations, many colleges expanded academic programs, refurbished campus facilities, and improved financial aid awards. College endowments, however, are not immune to the drastic downturn in ...

Nobody ever said being an adult was easy and knowing how to save and invest properly is not exception to the rule. But, who better to advise you on saving and investing money than Mark Kantrowitz, a nationally recognized finance guru? Here are tips, right from the expert, on how to save and invest like a pro. [gate] • Save for ...

Sallie Mae and Gallup just released the results of their third annual survey of how American families pay for college. The survey found that families perceived college costs as increasing by more than 17% compared with last year. As a result, families are becoming more cost conscious in their college choices. Family estimates of the total cost of attendance increased 17% ...

Students, you and your parents are so focused on the standard college questions – what school, what degree, how to pay for it – that you overlook the elephant in the room. An Elephant in the room? Yes, the educational Elephant who can cost you and your families thousands of dollars, unnecessarily. Here’s where the elephant raises his costly tusks. You ...

Why should one NOT use retirement funds to pay for a child's college costs? — Diane H. There are two main reasons why families shouldn't use retirement plan funds to pay for college. The first reason is the financial impact of taking a distribution from a retirement plan to pay for college. The financial impact includes both the tax liability and ...

Student aid policy experts have argued for years that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is too long and too complicated. The FAFSA form is a source of confusion and frustration for many families. The policy experts have proven that the current process of applying for financial aid is itself a problem that prevents millions of students from applying ...

I just sold my house and moved in with my new husband. We have three children between us (two are his) and are looking for a bigger house. Would it make sense to save the $30,000 from the house sale in my son's 529 college savings plan account (he is 13 now), or use this money to buy a house and ...

I'm confused as to how to treat a prepaid tuition plan when applying for financial aid. I'm an independent student but I have a small prepaid tuition account which is held by a parent as account owner with me as the beneficiary. Since I don't list parent assets when filling out the FAFSA, do I need to list the prepaid tuition ...