There are many countless ways people can find funding to attend a college, university, or trade school. Students need to be proactive in getting an education with the least amount of debt. Obviously people with deep pockets do not have to worry about school costs, but those individuals who are in the middle class and lower class have to find creative ways to pay for school. How much would you need to attend college? Thousands for a bachelors degree and even more for a graduate degree. Listed below are the steps everybody should take if they will be attending a higher education school:
Funding Ideas:
– Get a scholarship for achieving perfect grades or excelling @ sports.
– Get information on all available grants. ( Difficult to get but still possible)
– Apply for financial Aide as soon as you commit to a school.
– Find a part time / full time job that offers Tuition Reimbursements.
– Set up monthly payment plan with Bursar’s office. (Tuition divided by monthly payment amount)
– Apply for a work study program @ the school and get a reduced tuition.
– Register with Upromise.com for a future college student. (This one is for parents)
– Ask for help from a well established financially stable family member.
Easy steps that take time and dedication to fully immerse yourself in the application process towards each one. Effort equals results and this is what you should do to get the best possible result for your pocket while earning a degree. The last one on the list is a bit of stretch as not many people will be willing to give or loan you thousands of dollars and relationships might get ruined if you do not adhere to the agreement of the family loan. If it is a gift then you can not go wrong, but still you can find ways to repay that person back for their generosity in the future. If the family member wants to loan you the funds then make it legal and on paper. But please have every intention of making good on your word. In my experience finding a job while still living at home will net you the best result financially as it did for me during the first 4 years of college. This guarantees all your funds should go to paying off your school tuition.
In the end if you still have to apply for some loans as a last resort to staying in school and on track then by all means do it, even though it is frowned upon by many financial gurus. I tend to think differently as it will be one of the best investments you make in your life. College graduates on average make 2 million more in their working life than high school graduates will ever make. Just have to be extremely dedicated to paying those loans back after you graduate.
Links to maximize School Funding:
Upromise Website
Fastweb Site
Student Scholarship Directory
FinAid Site
Scholarships4students Directory
Comment if you have funding ideas of your own that you want to share with the readers on this site.
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*PS: Federal student loans are never dis-chargeable in bankruptcy filings.
