Cost of College

It may sound strange, but if your family received a “scholarship” to buy a car would it lead you to buy it?  We encourage college parents to consider the implications for your own college admissions experience and be careful to understand the difference between a true scholarship from what would otherwise be viewed as a […]

Dear Parents:When your children leave home for college, they will face a host of new experiences and responsibilities. As a parent, you recognize that now they will be "on their own" to tackle life's basic functions - at the same time that they are adjusting to a new environment and new freedoms. To help your student in this transition, he/she should know the "financial facts of life" before opening that first checking account or making that first purchase on credit.

Last week, in this column, I wrote about the upcoming “road to reauthorization” for the Higher Education Act, certain provisions of which are already being considered in the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee, chaired by Rep. John Boehner of Ohio.

You were ecstatic when she was awarded that merit scholarship. Even better when she still got a need-based grant. She accepted the admission offer, and then life was a swirl of senior year ceremonies, graduation, parties, and maximizing her last summer before going off to college. You hadn’t really thought more about college costs until […]

Balancing fun and finances is never easy, especially in college. During these memorable years, students should balance their education and social lives.So, what exactly is the best way to ensure you’re setting yourself up for a healthy financial future during and after school? For the most success in developing great spending habits and making intelligent […]

The time has finally come for your baby to make the big leap from your nest into the vast world of college. Books, classes, meal plans, and living arrangements can add up quickly along with the fact that your student still must have a dependable means of transportation. Determining how your child will get around […]

All college parents and families will benefit from the insights from the annual Trends in Higher Education report by the College Board.  The capacity of families to contribute to an ever-growing cost of college is a pressing matter that is seen best in the context of general wage stagnation contained in this 2017 report.

A college degree is a powerful asset," said Jack Remondi, President & CEO of Navient, in a statement. "But, borrowing for college and not graduating, has lasting negative consequences.

The American College Health Association annual survey on National College Health student health reports incidents such as illnesses, accidents, and injuries can frequently happen, even to young and healthy college students. The good news is that college families can protect their investment by purchasing tuition insurance coverage starting at $29.95 for $2,500 per term.

Many times — maybe too many — high school seniors are just so happy to be accepted to their dream school that they don’t give a second thought to the financial implications of their college choice. Then reality sinks in when they start digging into the details of college award letters. At College Parents of America, […]

As a result, it seems prudent to consider why it is acceptable to place 100% of the burden of a student loan on a student when the school received the financial benefit and would potentially act differently if they shared the risk of student success. College Parents of America welcomes this discussion. It is timely for the United States to consider how we increase the capacity of our citizens to contribute and compete in a global economy.

Dear Parents:When your children leave home for college, they will face a host of new experiences and responsibilities. As a parent, you recognize that now they will be "on their own" to tackle life's basic functions - at the same time that they are adjusting to a new environment and new freedoms. To help your student in this transition, he/she should know the "financial facts of life" before opening that first checking account or making that first purchase on credit.

Taking an extra year or two to complete a college degree in not out of the ordinary in the US. Actually only 40% of four year college students finish in four years. And 60% finished in six years. According to Nerd Wallet a new study examined how much one or two years extra would cost […]

We are frequent advocates of better consumer information for students and their families. As a result we were pleased to read today's article by fellow parent and New York Times columnist Ron Lieber. His article Concealing the Calculus of Higher Education is a powerful reminder of the difficulty families have in understanding the actual cost of college.

New data from the U.S. Department of Education shows in detail how much federal student loan debt college students by school. Use ProPublica's interactive database to search among 6,000 schools in the U.S. to see how much they support their poorest students financially. College Parents of America applauds the work of ProPublica to promote greater transparency by colleges and universities.

  photo by flickr user lendingmemo (cc license) A recent Reuters piece details a few tricks that some families do in hopes of getting a better financial aid offers. However, unlike most news articles concerning financial aid tricks, these tricks are considered ill-advised. As the article states, “These methods carry significant risks and may not even work.”