Sunday, November 8, 2009

Education

College Cash 101 by Kim Clark

Entries for December 2008

The 4 Rules of Paying for College in a Recession

December 15, 2008 10:24 AM ET | Clark, Kim |

Although I've been writing for years about financing college, I've never before received so many letters like this one from Philip I., who is a mortgage consultant in New England: "I am panicked. My son is a junior in high school. Any ideas would be helpful." Many parents are reeling from big financial losses at the same time they are shocked by college price tags, confused by all the nitpicky rules, and scared that they'll ruin their children's future if they can't figure out some way to get them through college.

Luckily, we've put together advice from financial aid experts—including lots of parents who managed to pay tuition without going bankrupt. A basic primer to financial aid can be found here.

While every student and family is unique, there are four principles that apply to everybody:

...continue reading.

Tags: financial aid | recession | paying for college | scholarships

Kim Clark, senior writer for U.S. News & World Report, used loans, scholarships, grants, fellowships, savings, earnings, and generous contributions from her family (thanks, Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Grandma!) to fund study at four different universities. She even managed to graduate from two of them. She’s been researching and writing about the best ways to raise college cash for five years. If you’re panicked about paying for college, e-mail questions to collegecash@usnews.com.

advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News & World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

U.S. NEWS MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

People who read this also read ...

U.S. NEWS EDUCATION HEADLINES

Segregationist Supports Ole Miss Chant

School officials have weighed in against a chant that says, "The South will rise again."

Access Limited for Stanford's Handicapped

Disabled students struggle with "less-than-accommodating" buildings on Stanford's campus.

Northwestern Holds Race Forum

Halloween costumes prompt gathering of students and faculty to talk about race.

Who's at Fault for the Cost of Law School?

Are the U.S. News law school rankings so powerful they cause law school tuitions to increase?

Arizona Plans First Undie Run

Homecoming weekend in Tucson will start with an underwear-only jog.

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
Make USNews.com your home page.