College Tuitions Rising
With some college students having an average of $23,186 in student loans, finding scholarships becomes more important to more and more students. With some parent unable to assist college students have to come up with a viable plan on their education.
What’s the costs of attending college? College Board released the following numbers:
- Public four-year colleges charge, on average, $7,020 per year in tuition and fees for students who live in their state. The average surcharge for full-time out-of-state students at these institutions is $11,528.
- Private four-year colleges charge, on average, $26,273 per year in tuition and fees.
- Public two-year colleges charge, on average, $2,544 per year in tuition and fees.
If you’re planning on finishing with no debt, you need to be more assertive with finding and applying for scholarships.
Where to Find Money for College
Now that you’re focused on getting money for college, it’s time to scour the web to find the scholarships that you qualify for and apply to them. It’s not easy as there are tons of scholarships, some obscure and very specific, but it’s possible.
Fast Web: This is a huge site that acts as a personalized search engine for scholarships. You have to take about 20 minutes or so to fill out a detailed profile, but it’s worth it. Every time a scholarship in its huge database opens up and you are qualified to apply for, you’ll receive an email to check your account.
It makes scholarship hunting much easier and you’ll have the opportunity to enter to as many scholarships as you want. Double check as student loans are also presented.
Cappex: Cappex is a bit different than another scholarship site. It not only connects you to possible grants, it can also suggest colleges that may be a good fit for you based on your profile. if you’re curious, there’s a tool on the site that estimates your chances of getting in. I wouldn’t be too focused on that; instead I’d devote time on applying for some grants.
Yakezie: The last resource is a new one. The Yakezie network just launched a monthly scholarship and it’s open to those who are willing to accept the challenge. Right now the minimum award is $500 every month, but the goal is to increase the amount as time goes by.
Since this is a new scholarship, you should check it out before other students find out.
Thoughts on College, Scholarships, and Student Loans
Graduating college without student loans is difficult, but not impossible. Some student are paying down their student loans while in college. Some are going the scholarship route.
I’m curious to have your take on it. How have you coped with college tuition? Did you have to take out student loans? What’s the interest rate for them? If you have student loans, have you consolidated them?
