Unpaid College Tuition Bills Rise, Survey Finds

unpaid tuition

it is unfortunate that igraduated last november from the LPN Programme Ilost my job during the programe so iwas not able to pay my tuition balance of &760 my school school refused to give me my certificate even when itried to explain to them my situation and offered to pay them as soon as i get the job . it is sad for me knowing that ifinished college but sitting out here because of the unpaid tuition any body out there to help?

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The College Route needs to be looked at

Talking to a friend whose husband just permanently lost his job in November, wife upgraded her hobby to full time work for the 2 of them and it's working out... except for paying for the son's college bills. So The son decided to drop out after having taken on his first personal loan ever (he is 19) and is working on a film crew and getting his credits a few per semester while working during the day. The parents admit, if they had looked at what thywere spending his 2 first years, in hindsight they see how sending him to a local Community College would have cost a fraction of the bill they paid for local university first two years and the university has a standing agreement with local community college to accept/transfer credits. I think this might be the way of the way of the future.

Ines Q Compton

girlgrants.com

Student Loan Consolidations

The students I know can get loans for education, but when they graduate, they can't find anyone anymore who will consolidate them into an affordable payment. It seems to me that a consolidation loan is preferable to a default or a two year or longer deferment if the student is working and wants to begin paying off his or her loans, but can't afford the total of multiple payments that numerous loans require. The way banks are handling credit, just doesn't make any sense. They are throwing potential revenue out of the window.

school loans

This is a bit off topic, but I have been out of college and a teacher with a master's who is still trying to pay off my school loans. Any advice on how to do this, short-cuts or discounts I could get? I realize that the old fashioned way, one month and a time, is probably my answer, but it seems impossible!

some schools are better than others with helping out their students "in need"

Boston College sent all of their students a letter over Winter Break basically saying that any student/family having problems paying their tuition due to recent economic troubles, to please call the Financial Aid Office and Bursar's Office immediately and that Boston College would do everything in its power to keep all of their students in school.

I wish the same could be said for other schools. Schools like Lehigh University should be taking note of how some schools like Boston College and Spellman really care about the future of their students.

Another Option

If you are having trouble making a large lump sum tuition payment, check with the Bursar at the school to see if a monthly payment plan is available. Payment plans allow you to break up that single payment into smaller more manageable amounts. There is ususally a small fee to sign up - but there is no interest accruing.

It's the Economy, Stupid

And I am not talking about recent troubles, but ongoing, systemic problems. The Byzantine tax code stifles entrepeneurship and initiative, but in that tax code there are all kinds of breaks for the big guys who have politicians in their pockets. The same is true of other regulation.

The problem is in Washington. And "Change We Can Believe In" is appointing all these long-time Washington insiders -- the only change is who is feeding at the public trough.

The good-paying jobs we used to have in industry are now being done essentially by slave labor overseas. "A penny saved is a penny earned" is no longer the thinking process; rather, but we have a government beholden to special interests, that tells us to go farther into debt, even as they accumulate trillions in debt in our name, with their latest venture to bail out con men who wanted to make money by moving other people's money around.

What do you expect under these circumstances?

Tuition Hikes in Tennessee

We are expecting 10-15% hikes for the 2009-2010 school year. Since I'm graduating in May, I'm one of the lucky ones. I hope my peers have enough money.

Packaging Expensive Loans

This outcome was sadly predictable. Financial aid offices "packaged" PLUS and private loans for students who would prove unable to obtain them, thus giving families the illusion that they could safely enroll. We are already seeing the results of this poor practice, with students whose families are under- or unemployed attending institutions with dramatically increasing tuitions and shrinking aid. Add to that toxic mix a back balance from first semester, and it is easy to see why the incidence of unpaid bills would rise. The story offers good suggestions, except most are irrelevant to very low income students who have already trimmed back not just extras but also essentials and who filed the FAFSA and maxed out federal loan eligibility some time ago.