Posted by Jim Evans on Dec 22, 2009 in
Education Yes, college is expensive. But, it almost certainly costs thousands a year less than you think.
A major public university in the midwest surveyed several hundred people about college and university costs and found that, on average, people think college is far more expensive than it actually is. The difference between perception and reality was very dramatic.
Although the group surveyed was well aware that costs at public colleges and universities are substantially less than those at privates, they badly overestimated fees at both. Similarly, their estimates of the cost of online degree programs were well above the actual costs.
How is it that people know so little about college costs? To begin with, colleges do a very poor job of making their costs clear. Although colleges produce beautiful publications for prospective students and their parents, few are specific about costs. Similarly, college costs are often hard to find on most college and university websites. In addition, the media seems to focus on our nation’s most selective and highest price colleges while paying far less attention to cheaper alternatives.
Even when people are aware of the actual costs of tuition and other expenses, they are often unaware of the monies available to help them reduce those costs. Remember that few students pay “list price”.
If you or someone in your family is exploring higher education, it is important that you investigate and determine actual educational costs. Do not believe second hand information about college cost or the availability of financial aid…much of it is erroneous.
What is most critical is that you do not assume that you can not afford higher education. The truth is that if you “shop” carefully for colleges and take advantage of the financial aid for which you are eligible, a higher education is well within reach.
Jim Evans is an educational counselor who guides students wishing to earn an online degree or a traditional college degree.
Tags: college, college admission, College Costs, Education, Financial Aid, Higher Education, scholarships, tuition
Posted by John Barnett on Dec 9, 2009 in
Education With college costs increasing at a hefty 6.5% every year, it just might pay to look into yet another way to augment student loans, grants and financial aid – the athletic scholarship. There’s a whopping $1.2 billion available for collegiate sports scholarships every year. Since the average cost of attending a four-year public university is nearly $80,000 every little bit helps, right? Here are a few things every high school athlete should know as they get started on their college selection process:
1. Age matters! To qualify to play sports at the college level you must be between’ and 24 years old. Your chances of landing a scholarship decrease the longer you wait to attend college after high school graduation, so plan to go straight from high school to college.
2. There are 29 sports recognized by the National College Athletic Association, or NCAA. Women are eligible to win scholarships in the following categories: Synchronized Swimming, Swimming and Diving, Water Polo, Ice Hockey, Gymnastics, Archery, Squash, Lacrosse, Skiing (Cross Country and Downhill), Rowing and Field Hockey, Basketball, Volleyball, Track & Field (Indoor and Outdoor), Soccer, Tennis, Equestrian, Fencing, Golf.
Male athletes can earn scholarships in: Swimming and Diving, Football, Gymnastics, Cross Country, Golf, Tennis, Skiing (Cross Country and Downhill), Lacrosse and Wrestling, Soccer, Baseball, Water Polo, Basketball, Fencing, Volleyball, Ice Hockey, Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor), Rifle.
3. Unless you and your athleticism has already become a household name in your region, don’t count on a recruiter finding you. Instead, prepare a sports portfolio of your efforts and make sure that it gets on the desk of the coach you are trying to play for at the college level. A bio of your life in sports and as many newspaper and/or broadcast TV clips of your highlights will be fine.
4. Grades still come first. Although coaches ultimately make the decision about which athletes will be granted a scholarship, the decision isn’t based on athleticism alone. Far from it, in fact. Did you know that you have to be accepted by the admissions board prior to being considered? Your SAT score, as well as your high school GPA and other materials in your application packet all factor into the coach’s decision.
If you are talented (and lucky!) enough to secure financial support for your college expenses based on your ability to play sports, you should keep your eye on your major. While there are some college athletes who go on to lucrative careers in professional sports, the majority of them find work their chosen field and find a different kind of success.
John Barnett is a high school baseball and soccer coach. He earned a masters degree at an online college and is considering several online colleges for additional study.
Tags: athletic scholarship, athletics, college, College Scholarship, Education, scholarships, university
Posted by Bob Morgan on Dec 2, 2009 in
Education Finding the right college scholarship to pay for quarterly or semester tuition may be a huge challenge for both student and parent. If the learner is good at a specific academic or athletic pursuit, he or she may qualify to receive a scholarship. Though there are a lot of packages available for the eligible application he or she may not end up receiving any money for college
Essentially, there are three basic types of school scholarships available to competent students. Those three are athletic, academic and affiliate scholarships. Athletic scholarships are often administered by the various athletic departments within the university system and used to attract eligible students into specific competitive sports programs. For students that are qualified to take advantage of athletic scholarships, these programs can be a great way to earn an education affordably. What is not widely known is that many universities have scholarship packages for the individual and less well known sports. As well as team sports, it is not uncommon for a university athletics program to have scholarships available for students that play golf, badminton, and occasionally even table tennis.
The other class of scholarship that is routinely available directly through the university is the academic scholarship. Academic scholarship programs are regularly administered through the school to get students into specific areas of research Just as athletic scholarships are awarded to eligible athletes, academic scholarships are given to students who excel at specific academic pursuits.
The third class of scholarship is the affiliation scholarship. This form of tuition reimbursement is frequently created by a family, trust, organization, or corporation, and is often designed to offset the cost of tuition for a qualifying student that is affiliated with the group that administers the scholarship. Although helpful, affiliate scholarships seldom completely offset the cost of tuition. For affiliation scholarships, the students very regularly need to be affiliated with the trustees of the scholarship in some fashion in order to qualify. For illustration, a scholarship presented through a corporation may only be accessible to the children of corporate workers. As another example, specific trust may grant scholarships to eligible students of a specific ethno-economic background.
Regardless of where the scholarship came from, the financial benefits to the student are welcome and well defined. Although qualifying for any of the three classifications of scholarship can be a challenge, and the actual population of students that receive scholarships is small, these packages have been immensely helpful for generations of students.
College Scholarships 2010 is designed to help students locate money for school through a collection of scholarship resources. The 2010 collection includes a number of resources and databases to help parents and students locate scholarships that will help them to succeed.
Tags: athletic scholarship, college, College Scholarship, Education, Grants, money for college, scholarships, school, tuition, Tuition Reimbursement, university
Posted by Ming Sun on Nov 11, 2009 in
Education Are you a single mom who wishes to go back to school and get a higher education? There are many mothers in the same boat but may not have the money to do so. Single mothers have many burdens including taking care of the kids and also working full time.
For those single mothers that wish to go back to school, they can receive financial aid through college grants for single mothers. These are grants provided by the federal government or state government and are free to students who qualify.
In order for you to get college grants for single mothers, you have to first get a FAFSA and fill it out. This is the Free Application for Student Aid form that all future students who want scholarships or grants must fill out. The government will use the information that you provide to determine how much grant money you should receive.
The more money a single mother makes, the less grant money she will get for education. The reason for college grants for single mothers is to help the financial burdens of those who cannot afford the high cost of school. So, mothers who make minimum wage are the most likely to get the most grants.
While you fill out FAFSA, you can also start looking for college grants for single mothers on grants.gov. This website has a lot of information on an assortment of grants and how you can apply. Search for the college grants for single mothers or other grants that are specific to you.
You can also ask your state to see if there are college grants for single mothers available. State grants are separate from federal grants and each state has their own set of grants.
Look online for college grants for single mothers and you will find several websites that help you find grants. Some organizations that help single mothers probably offer grants for education as well.
Having college grants for single mothers can make life easier when you are going back to school. In many cases, the grants are able to cover for school and living expenses. This should lift the burden of you have to work a full time job while taking care of your child. But in order to get these grants, you should start applying early. Many grants have deadlines if you do not meet them, you will have no chance of getting the grant.
Jim has worked as a college financial aid advisor for over a decade. He has helped numerous single mothers find government grants for single mothers in college. For more information, please see his website.
Tags: College Grants For Single Mothers, Education, Money, scholarships, school
Posted by Tom Chrobak on Oct 22, 2009 in
Education When trying to find money for college tuition, most parents make 10 common mistakes
You could lose out on some possible funding opportunities if you don’t take caution to avoid these mistakes
Let’s get started on this article content that will reveal to you how to get the most amount of funding possible from every school your child applies to
Mistake #1: Most middle and upper-middle class parents assume they won’t be eligible for financial aid because they own a home and make too much money.
Fact: There are little-known grants and dollars from private foundations and organizations that allow some financial aid to be given no matter what you income is!
You just have to know how to get your “fair share”.
The problem is that many parents give up after a short search or an initial rejection and they never reap the reward….and these funds are never claimed..you may as well TRY!
Mistake #2-Instead of focusing time on”need-based” aid, you focs your time on private scholarships
The reality is…only 1% of available money is from Private scholarships…the other 99% comes from the state you live in, the Federal Government and the school your child applies to…so where do you think you should spend your time?!
Mistake #3 is assuming that financial aid is given only to athletes, minority students or gifted kids
This is just not true!
Financial Aid based on “need” is determined by comparing the family contribution to the cost of attendance to see what the government’s definition of your need is.
This calculation has nothing to do with the level of grades or sports achievement your child plays at….it’s a simple formula
COA (Cost Of Attendance) – EFC (Expected Family Contribution) = FN (Financial Need)
Mistake #4 is not keeping in mind when choosing a university or college where your child lies compared to the rest of the student body.
Schools will give the best financial aidpackages to students with the best GPA/SAT/ACT and who are in the to 10% of incomg freshmen
This is simply because schools want to get the best students to attend….so use this to get your child the best chance and apply only here they will fit this niche
Mistake #5: Assuming all schools are created equal and will be able to give you the same amounts of money.
The schools most able to give you money are the ones who are well-endowed with a generous alumni association.
In order to assist their students, state schools have to rely on Federal money because theydo not get private funds.
In many cases, these schools leave students short and give them less money than they are eligible to receive. It can actually end up costing you more to send your child to a “cheaper” school if they don’t have the money to meet your need. It is very important that you know each school’s history of giving money before you ever apply, so you’re not blown away when you get a bad financial aid package from your child’s top school choice.
Dedicated to Making Your Child’s College Dreams Come True
To find out exactly how I can help you with scholarships for college, visit my website about Illinois college tips and get a FREE Report: “How to Pay For College Without Going Broke”
Tags: 529 plans, college, College Tuition, Education, las vegas college tips, scholarships
