Financial Aid

According to the folks at financialaidforcollege Accumulate College Credits Before Going to College In addition to impressing admissions committees, advanced placement courses are also much less expensive than their college counterparts. Many students are able to accumulate an entire semester of credits before graduating high school. That's not bad given the cost of a semester at many private universities and even some public schools for non state residents. Look into Combined Degree Programs Many schools offer combined degree programs that save you time as well as money. These programs consist of completing combined bachelor's and master's degrees or master's and doctorate degrees. Depending on your career interests, these may be worth considering. Explore Ways to Pay the In-State Tuition Rates for Public Colleges Many states, particularly several in the Midwest with declining populations have very short citizen time requirements. If the requirement is only six months...

Here's what PHEAA has to say: Facts on Student Loans Students, families, and borrowers have told us that recent media articles covering our decision to temporarily suspend our lending activities are alarming. Many feel this means PHEAA is no longer involved in providing student loans and funding through the Pennsylvania State Grant and Special Programs. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Here are some basic facts to help you understand. What is happening? PHEAA has decided to temporarily suspend acting as a lender in the Federal Family Educational Loan Program (FFELP). This includes Stafford, Parent PLUS, Graduate PLUS, and Consolidation loans. PHEAA is still committed, as we have been for 44 years, to serve the financial aid needs for Pennsylvanians and other students from around the country. Currently, for the 2007-2008 academic year, over 200 lenders continue to participate in our low-cost KeystoneBEST student loan program and we remain committed to meeting the borrowing n...

College is expensive. Any way you look at it there is a substantial investment reequired on someone's part to get a degree. We've discussed several ways in which to go about paying for college on this site and most of those options require some action and savings program. What if you could help the process along just by living your everyday life? Curious? Of Course! For those of you that haven't heard about it, Upromise is the way that students and parents save for college without putting money away. Here's how it works: Upromise partners with companies like McDonalds and ExxonMobil who reward you for using their services by putting money into an account every time you buy a Big Mac or go get gas. How cool is that? For your free account follow this link.

You hear all this buzz about 529 plans and today I thought that I would take some time and discuss this great savings tool. This plan (named after section 529 of the IRS code) enables you to set aside money on a tax-free basis! Check out the benefits here.

According to Snagajob.com's snagablog, Here are some ideas to ponder as you consider what to do this summer: * Lifeguard. Lifeguards get to hang out in the sun and get a nice summer glow while interacting with the public every day. You can usually expect to receive free admission to the pool when you’re not on duty, and maybe even a couple passes for guests. And you can’t beat a cold ice cream sandwich from the snack bar at the end of your shift. Just make sure to load up on SPF—“lobster red” isn’t a color you want to sport at summer social events this year. * Retail associate. In retail jobs, you can beat the heat in an air conditioned environment, and probably get to see your buddies shopping around as well. You’ll be the first to discover this summer’s latest fashions by taking a peek at merchandise in the stock room before it hits the floor. And the real perk? Most retailers offer an employee discount, so you can stock up on flip-flops and beach cover-ups to wear when y...

According to PHEAA/AES here is the low down on work-study guidelines. Information for Students The State Work-Study Program (SWSP) provides Pennsylvania students with employment opportunities in high-technology and community-service fields. Through SWSP you gain career-related, on-the-job work experience while earning money to help pay for your higher education. You may work up to 40 hours per week during term breaks and the summer and no more than 20 hours per week while classes are in session. To qualify you must: * Be a Pennsylvania resident. * Be enrolled at least half-time (6 – 11 credits) in a PHEAA-approved higher education institution, in a program of study at least two years in length. * Be a State Grant or subsidized federal loan recipient. * Be able to benefit from a career-related work experience in a high-tech or community-service job. * Not owe a State Grant refund or have defaulted on any student loan. You and your employer must complete the SWSP Stud...

This date is one you will want to remember. On July 1st, the interst rates on student loans change and set for the following year. Check out Projectonstudentdebt.org for more information. This could end up saving you lots of time and money!!!