college

8 Ways to Eliminate Debt While in Grad School

Grad school doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your finances. In fact, if you plan carefully, you can even graduate debt-free.

Rethinking the 529 College Savings Plan Strategy

Since the 529 college savings plan offers both an investment and a tuition option, there's good reason to do both!

Share Your Thoughts: Consolidating Student Loans

What should one reader do to consolidate his student loan payments?

United World College: Study Abroad For Way Less Than You Think

Does your high school-aged child want something different? Are they smart, motivated, and looking for new challenges? They may find what they are looking for in the two-year United

6 Savvy Strategies to Ward Away College Hunger and Avoid Overspending

Back in 1996, I was a partial scholarship private college student with the “gold” meal plan. Despite having access to food almost anytime I wanted, I often went hungry. Why? I was

Beyond Tuition: Helping Out With College Expenses

My sister starts college this spring and I've been thinking about options for helping her out with her expenses beyond tuition. While I'd love to be able to just cover all her cost

Section 529 Plans

For parents interested in setting aside money towards college expenses for their children, a Section 529 account is one of the best ways to do so.

Federal Stafford Loans

The federal government has established a student loan program to enable more students to obtain a college education. They come in two forms: subsidized and unsubsidized.

Federal Perkins Loans

Where a Stafford Loan or Parent PLUS Loan is available to just about any college student, a Federal Perkins Loan is only available to students who can expect only a minimal level o

Parent PLUS Loans

Parents can take out low-interest loans in order to help their children pay for school. With a Parent PLUS loan, parents can borrow directly from the federal government and receive

Federal Student Loans

Depending on the type of help you need with paying for college, knowing the differences between government financial aid programs can make a big difference in finding a loan that r

College Financial Aid Options

By understanding the different types of financial aid available to college students, parents and students can determine the best types of aid for their situation.

UTMA/UGMA Custodial Accounts

Over the years, Uniform Transfers to Minors and Uniform Gifts to Minors custodial accounts (also known as UGMA and UTMA accounts) have become less popular than college savings opti

Series I and Series EE U.S. Savings Bonds

U.S. savings bonds can provide one of the simplest approaches to saving for college. When you cash them in to pay for your child's college expenses, you will be able to do so witho

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts

The Coverdell Education Savings Account (also known as the Coverdell ESA) is a college savings option that allows you to save money towards your child's college expenses with tax a

Calculating the Cost of College

One of the hardest parts of saving for your child's college expenses is calculating just what those expenses will total. Here are some ideas to get a better financial picture of th

How to Save Money for College

There are several different options for building a college fund that will cover part or all of a student's college expenses.

Don't Go to College to Learn

There are good reasons to go to college. And, if you do go to college, you will no doubt learn a lot. But you can learn anywhere — and probably learn more, better, and fast

Can You Save Money by Renting Textbooks?

When I went to college it was unheard of to rent textbooks, but a number of outfits such as Chegg, Campus Book Rentals, and BookRenter.com have sprung up in the last few years that

How to find the cheapest college textbooks

I’m not in college any more, thank goodness, but I remember every penny-pinching moment. Some days I hardly had enough money for food, mainly because the materials and textbooks I