News on Paying For College

How to Zero In on the True Cost

2011-12-08T11:30:37Z

New calculators are a start, but results aren’t always reliable.

Mark Kantrowitz publishes the Web site FinAid.org, which provides information about college scholarships and financial aid.

SEE ALSO: SLIDE SHOW: 10 Top Private Colleges With Low Debt

Colleges are now required to post net-price cal...

Why You Still Need to Fund a College Education

2011-11-30T11:30:39Z

If investing in a degree is like starting a business, then let's fund it that way: with equity instead of debt.

A fierce debate has erupted in America over the value of a college education. Passions are running high. "Education is a bubble in a classic sense," said Peter Thiel...

Consumer regulator looking at student loans

2011-11-16T11:30:14Z

(Reuters) - The new consumer financial agency is setting its sites on the private student lending industry, announcing on Wednesday that it is seeking information on how to oversee these lenders.

The agency said in a release that "too little is known" about college student loans made by private lenders as opposed to those that go through programs run by the government.

"It has been operating in the...

US school board sells ad space on report cards

2011-11-14T20:30:31Z

Faced with stinging budget cuts, a county school board in the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado is selling advertising space on report cards to help make ends meet.

Jefferson County Public Schools expects to make $90,000 over three years from Collegeinvest, a college savings plan, for the two-inch (five-centimeter) ads on r...

Obama tells students of plans to ease loan burden

2011-10-26T12:30:14Z

DENVER (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Wednesday to take steps to ease the burden of student loans, potentially helping cash-strapped college graduates in a tough U.S. economy.

"I want America to have the most highly skilled workers doing the...

Analysis: How to get your piece of Obama's student loan relief

2011-10-26T10:30:14Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's new student loan relief plan may be less than meets the eye: It will not do anything to alleviate the pain for the millions of borrowers who have private student loans, and its centerpiece merely accelerates by two years a program to lighten the load for low-earning federal borrower...

College costs outpace inflation: College Board

2011-10-25T21:30:06Z

(Reuters) - The cost of college in the United States rose sharply for the 2011-2012 school year, continuing a multiyear pattern in which public school increases outpaced private school hikes and both eclipsed the average rate of inflation by significant amounts, the College Board reported on Wednesday.

At public 4-year schools, averag...

Which Assets Matter Most in Financial-Aid Formulas?

2011-09-08T10:30:21Z

When it comes to qualifying for college aid, parents should keep assets in their names -- not their child's.

It's never too early to start thinking about financial aid for college if you have children. In fact, the sooner you learn the process, the better. That's because how you save for your child's education can affect the aid the you receive.

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12 Things College Students Don't Need

2011-09-05T10:30:15Z

As the cost of college continues to rise, reconsider some of these expendable expenses.

Editor's note: Our annual roundup of campus money wasters has been updated for 2011.

The sticker shock when you first see the bill for tuition, room and board, and all those nebulous fees is bad enough. With the excitement and stress that accompanies the move to college, it’...

Smart Ways to Save for College

2011-09-02T10:30:27Z

The key is to start saving as early as you can -- and to take advantage of the tax breaks.

He makes a good salary but has no job security. She’s currently a stay-at-home mom. The older of their two girls heads off to college in five years. If the kids attend their parents’ alma maters, Princeton and Columbia, the family will ...

How to Limit Student-Loan Debt

2011-09-01T10:30:33Z

Follow these six steps to keep borrowing for college under control.

With the volume of student loans on the rise, “fears of a bubble in educational spending are not without merit,” warns Moody’s Analytics in a recent report. Moody’s sober assessment: “Unless students limit their debt burdens, choose fields of study that are in demand and successfully complete th...

Lighten the Burden of Student Loans

2011-08-31T10:30:19Z

Find out if you qualify for a loan forgiveness program or a more-lenient repayment plan.

Americans have been paying down mortgage debt, home-equity loans, credit card debt and auto loans over the past several years. But student-loan borrowing is up significantly, reports the

Analysis: What do interest-rate lows mean for borrowers?

2011-08-18T14:00:32Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As the stock market plummeted yet again on Thursday, interest rates on 10-year Treasury notes dipped below 2 percent for the first time ever.

For traders, Treasuries represented an obvious safe haven from stocks, and the frenzied buying drove down the yield.

But what does that mean for you? It could very well spark a borrowing bonanza for consumers, especially in t...

Williams College tops U.S. best university list again

2011-08-03T12:30:39Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - For the second consecutive year Williams College in Massachusetts was named the best university in the United States, ahead of Harvard and two top military schools.

With less than 2,100 students it nudged past Pri...

A time for hoops hopefuls to shine

2011-07-27T02:33:05Z

It's late July, which means it's time for AAU basketball to invade Las Vegas. Headlined by the adidas Super 64 at Rancho High and the Fab 48 at Bishop Gorman, top high school prospects from across the country will go head to head. For Uncle Sam helps ease the pain of paying for college with a variety tax benefits.

Uncle Sam helps ease the pain of paying for college with a variety tax benefits.

As families prepare to send their students off to college, I tend to get a lot of questions about tax breaks for paying college expenses. Here’s what you need to know.

Can I get a tax break for paying my son’s college tuition?

Maybe. Money paid for tuition, fees, books and ...

How to Find Bargains

2011-07-13T10:30:15Z

Kiplinger's annual guide shows you how to snag the best deals.

Throughout the year, I write tips on how to get bargains and deals on a variety of items and services. For a comprehensive guide to markdowns, discounts and strategies to save money, see The Best Bargains, from the August issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. Below you'll find a sample of deals from this great guide:

Nelnet buys residual interest in federal student loan

2011-07-11T06:00:07Z

(Reuters) - Nelnet said it bought a residual interest in $1.9 billion of federal student loan from an affiliate of Greystone & Co Inc.

The student finance company acquired the interest in notes issued by GCO Student Loan Interest Margin Securities Trust-I (GCO SLIMS Trust-1), giving the company rights to the residual interest ...

Helping a Family Member Save for College

2011-07-07T10:30:19Z

Here's how to set up a custodial account or 529 college-savings plan for a niece, nephew or other relative.

My brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby girl in a few months, and I’d like to set up a custodial account or a 529 college-savings plan for my niece. Can I establish an account for her now, or do I need to wait until she is born? A...

529 Funds for College Expenses -- Not College Debt

2011-06-29T11:30:19Z

You can't use money in a college-savings account to pay off student loans.

My wife and I invested in a 529 college-savings plan when our oldest boy started college. We thought we could use the money to help pay off the student loans we took out to pay his college bills. Our oldest son has graduated, but our younger son is now in his third year of college. We haven’t touched the ...

Americans worried by soaring tuition fees

2011-06-27T05:30:29Z

The spectacular rise in US college tuition fees is becoming a serious problem for students and many American families as they grapple with the worst economic crisis since the 1930s.

In the past week Michigan State University announced a 7% tuition hike, Oklahoma State University raised its tuiti...

Invest in Your State's -- or Another's -- 529 Plan?

2011-06-20T10:30:14Z

It depends on whether you get an income-tax deduction for your contribution.

My husband and I are new parents, and we want to start a 529 college-savings plan for our baby. We live in Virginia, and we’re on a strict budget. Should we contribute to our state’s 529 plan, or would another state’s plan be a better choice?

You are smart to start think...

Attacks on gold retailers, student loan debtors

2011-06-14T19:30:17Z

Why the U.S. government is looking to "regulate" gold selling companies. Regulate is a code-word for, take-over, destroy or monopolise.

We have been writing here at The Dollar Vigilante for nearly one year exactly, this coming July 1st, about such things as getting your gold outside of the control of your own government and about how US student loans are an entrapment for, what we believe, will be milit...

The Dark Side of Student Debt

2011-05-06T10:30:18Z

Defaulting on your loans can ruin your financial life. We show you how to repair the damage.

Imagine going to college to improve your life and walking away with $500,000 in student debt. That number is no typo. A young Seattle couple ended up so mired in debt on the way to their degrees that they "couldn't ev...

Money Lessons for Kids Should Be Entertaining

2011-04-15T10:30:13Z

For financial education to be successful, it has to capture children's attention. Here's an example of one program that works.

Every year during National Financial Literacy Month, I make it a point to go to a school or simil...

Graduate uses Facebook to find financial aid

2011-04-08T07:00:35Z

LAS VEGAS (Reuters Life!) - U.S. student Devin Valencia, the first member of her family to graduate from college, hopes others will do the same with her prizewinning idea for a Facebook application for finding financial aid.

The idea won the 24-year-old ...

Nevada graduate likes Facebook for college financial aid

2011-04-07T15:00:10Z

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Devin Valencia, the first member of her family to graduate from college, hopes others will do the same with her prizewinning idea for a Facebook application for finding financial aid.

The idea won the 24-year-old

Obama recalls his own lean times as a student

2011-04-06T18:30:28Z

He may have a well-paying job now, but US President Barack Obama has recalled how he too used to struggle, and thanked Americans for giving his family financial security by buying his books.

Speaking at a gala organized by activist Reverend Al Sharpton on his first trip outside Washington since announcing his 2012 re-election bid, Obama spoke proud...

Tax Credits for Education Expenses

2011-03-02T11:30:18Z

You may be able to cut your tax bill if you pay for your child's college costs. There's a tax break for graduate students, too.

How do I claim the $2,500 tax credit for college expenses when I file my 2010 federal tax return? Is the credit still in effect for college costs incurred in 2011?

I’ve been inundated with quest...

Texas group to offer college scholarships to white men

2011-02-26T11:00:10Z

SAN ANTONIO, Tex. (Reuters) - Members of a new Texas association are starting a college scholarship program for a group of students they say do not have as many scholarship options as others -- white men.

Colby Bohannan, a student at Savers benefit from lower expenses and more choices.

Savers benefit from lower expenses and more choices.

We can't assure you that Junior will get into Harvard when the time comes, or that any college he chooses won't cost you an arm and a leg. But the good news is that saving for college is getting less expensive as fees in state-sponsored 529 college-savings plans fall.

Named for a section of the Internal Revenue Code, 529 plans allow co...

US students stressed out: study

2011-01-27T19:30:29Z

First-year students on US campuses are experiencing record levels of stress, according to a study showing increasing financial and academic pressures on young people entering university.

The University of California Los Angeles (Report: For-profit colleges cashing in on veterans, military personnel in era of expanded aid

For-profit college companies take in enormous amounts of federal student aid money by recruiting and enrolling military service members, veterans and their families, with questionable returns, says a new report from a vocal Senate critic of the industry.

The report from Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa

Divorced Parents and Education Tax Breaks

2010-12-06T11:30:39Z

Graphic shows average tuition and fees for colleges and maximum Pell Grant from 1979 to 2009

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RISING TUITION

2010-03-28T02:30:11Z

Chart shows average tuition and fees

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COLLEGE COSTS

2010-03-30T21:39:38Z

Graphic shows average college costs and available federal and nonfederal aid by year

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Virginia 529 College Savings Plan 250

2010-04-02T02:17:56Z

RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 11: Carl Edwards, driver of the #60 Scotts Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Virginia 529 College Savings Plan 250 at Richmond Internation...

COLLEGE AID

2010-04-03T09:28:37Z

Graphic shows average tuition and fees for colleges and maximum Pell Grant

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