Paying for College: Grants, Student Loans and Work-study

You don’t have to be a mega spender or a gambling man to blow through most of your cash by the end of Freshman Year! Its not that you didn’t budget, its just the fact that this is your first time living alone and managing your finances. Without the right tools this can be a huge hassle. Spending you weekly allowance or money that you made working a summer job is a lot easier than having to deal with college tuition, rent, trips back home, transportation, food and entertainment, student loans and not to forget, making good grades!

A good way to get the ball rolling is by making a detailed budget of all your expected expenses and then adding a 10-20% cushion to it. The second step would involve seeking out financial aid. You should fill out the FAFSA and send it to the colleges you’re applying to. The form details information on your parent’s and your incomes, liabilities and assets and is used to determine your financial aid package. While being mostly need based, your financial aid package usually has three parts: Grants, Student Loans and Work-Study. Grants are free gifts, which unlike student loans, you never have to repay! Student loans come in various forms. They could be subsidized; meaning the interest rate charged on it could be lower than the prevailing market rates. Or they could be un-subsidized. They may even be loaned to your parents to pay for your education. Regardless of the kind of student loan you get, you do not have to start making payments on them until a few months after you graduate. Work-study gives student access to specific jobs on campus that are paid for in part by the federal government. Do pay close attention to your financial aid package each year. Even though your financial aid package total is the same, the distribution of grants, student loans and work-study may change on an annual basis.

There are various other forms of aid that you may be eligible to receive. Unlike need-based financial aid, Colleges usually have some funds available for high achievers on a merit basis. There is Private, non-college aid that you may be eligible for. You may even think about serving the country and joining the Army ROTC, Air Force ROTC or the Marine Corps. Along with excellent training programs the armed forces may pay for a bulk of your tuition!

And if you haven’t struck gold with either of these resources, you can always go to a private lender and apply for student loans. The process is generally hassle free and most students, when applying with a co-signer, like their parents, are approved for student loans covering the entire cost of their education with favorable payments terms. You do not have to start paying on almost all private student loans until about six months after graduation.