6 Ways to Get Free Cash for College

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I really like the hope in these thoughts. however, the reality is quite different.
My son graduated from Hish school as second in his class. 1/100 of a point behind the top student. He applied for everything he could get his hands on. In 12 years, he never made less than an "A". he did all he was supposed to do. He took all the AP courses he could and followed his advisors to the "T". He was not eligible for many. The bottome line is he could have received more scholorships if he had been a "B" student. If any of the following was true, he would have received much more. If he or his parents had been a homosexual, if his mother or father had killed the other parent. If he had been a Baptist, if he had been an activist against global warming, if he had not been white, if he had not been a male. The list goes on an on. He did land a couple small ones given out to most everyone and we worked our collective rear-ends off to get him through.

Bill Dinwiddie of NC 9:42AM May 23, 2009

I read through your blog but it is rather insensitive, I am member of questia, I got blog ad from my face book link:
I want you know to know that you can be sue for using the the word" all-too common Nigerian scams. for heaven sake this a problem in virtually all economy, I am a Nigeria who earns his living via credible means it is an insult for you to tag my country Nigeria with scam, I don't think this scam issue is only limited to Nigerians, please do carry out your research on Russian Scammers, Philiphinos, Romanians, Egyptians, Ghanaian,UK, US, Bulgarians and Chinese some of the scammers in countries like, Russia, Romania,China, Us,UK have access to sophisticated softwares which they use in ripping of money from online transactions, more so from banks, These guy get innocient US and UK citizen ID's and place it for sale on ad site.
I am not here to debate with you, if you dont delete the name of my country from your blog wrte up I will sue you for libel. it is a shame for you make a general conclusion about people who dont really know any thing about, but rather based on people report which dont have legal backing.
I will be expecting your correction on your write up

Steven Bulus Michael 6:30AM May 23, 2009

Guy: I just wanted to note that the savings accumulated in a 529 plan don't count against your student's financial aid eligibility. Therefore, spending the money on "fluff" versus putting it in a 529 actually doesn't make any difference. Other types of savings, such as an UTMA account at a bank, do count against a student's eligibility. However, family income, household size, and the number of college students in the family all have more of an impact, generally. Someone who has no savings at all but has a parent income of $100,000 won't receive any need-based aid. Conversely, someone with a decent amount of college savings but a parent income of $5000 a year is likely to receive a significant level of need-based aid. The savings account totals have only a small impact on the overall picture of financial need, when so many factors are considered.

Bonnie of TN 1:36PM May 22, 2009

You can save for your childs college expenses in a 529 plan and have the money to pay the outrageously inflated college tuitions, room, board, etc. or you can buy an McMansion, a summer home, a boat, big screen TV, etc. and when college rolls around you will receive grants and scholarships from the college endowments to pay for the tuitions, while the savers get nothing!

Guy McPerson of NJ 1:52PM April 22, 2009

The idea isn't that one has to put a full year's tuition into the plan all at once. There is no minimum and contributions can be as low as $50 a month. The idea is to put money away, over time, that compounds tax-free, is not tied to the stock market and therefore at little or no-risk (since the colleges themselves, not the families assume the risk) and that can rolled into a traditional 529 plan if the students decides to go to a non-member college or a public. Plus, I-529 plan freezes the price of higher education at the tuition rate during the year of investment, guaranteeing families a return on their investment equivalent to annual tuition price increases, compounded over the holding period. Parents have gotten into the plan as late as when their student is a freshman, but that has enabled them to have his/her last of college cost less than the first year--where else can you get that offer? Look at the plan more closely.

Chrissy of PA 9:37AM April 08, 2009

My roommate used GreenNote.com last year and did well. I just put in a profile - very easy. Were having a competition to see who can raise the most this year.

booksmart of CA 6:17PM April 06, 2009

Most schools offer some sort of free tuition to those who work for them. Sure, most of the jobs are entry level and mind numbing. But if you were to add the cost of school on to your benefits I think the costs would outweigh the benefits.

Still in school of CO 8:30AM April 06, 2009

This was written in a previous post""""""Studies have shown that the four-year graduation rate from a private university to be 67% - versus 28% for a public university. """""""
There are many reasons for this stat. Private schools admissions standards, including those beyonnd scores are such that the quality of incoming students contributes to the success rate.

Steve of IN 10:20PM April 05, 2009

"That means a family with a 10-year-old who puts about $29,000 in the plan today".
Who has an extra $29,000 laying around in this economy?
Get more realistic, and give some better advice we can all use.

Michelle of MI 6:42PM April 04, 2009

The SAGE Tuition Rewards program is FREE to families. If you invest with a partner -- for instance, the Pennsylvania and Wisconsin 529 savings programs (Vanguard, Wells Fargo) -- you collect Reward points (similar to Frequent Flyer miles) on your savings. Of our 230 members, tuition ranges from a rather inexpensive $9,750/year to $37,675. We do require families to enroll two years prior to attending college; the longer a family participates, the greater the Rewards.Colleges may "blend" [include] Rewards with other financial aid offers, and a college's normal admissions standards apply.. Private colleges and universities are often considerably more affordable than most families realize. Studies have shown that the four-year graduation rate from a private university to be 67% - versus 28% for a public university. Programs like ours may help make a private college education more affordable for America's families..
Robert Savett
VP, Marketing
SAGE Scholars.

Robert Savett of PA 12:03PM April 02, 2009