How to afford a college education

Many middle class families are facing a crunch nowadays,which makes affording college extremely expensive. The cost of tuition, room and board and books has only increased and everything indicates that this trend will continue. With this article, I plan on exploring some ways to ease the cost of going for a higher education, without causing anyone to become bankrupt.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Fill out a FAFSA form. I cannot stress this enough. Without knowing it, you may qualify for benefits that will help you finance school.
   www.fafsa.gov
   The government provides subsidized loans called Stafford loans, which means that the interest rates are subsidized, this way you are not building huge interest rate costs. The government also offers unsubsidized loans, although the interest rates are not so good. They are still better than private loans though.
2. School scholarships. Many schools offer different scholarships to students. If schools are competing for you because of academics or athletics even better. This may greatly increase your chances of acquiring such a scholarship. You should contact the schools you are considering to find out about their scholarships.
3. General scholarships. In a google search, you can easily find a scholarship that may be appropriate for you. I have used www.fastweb.com, which lists many scholarships of different amounts that may suit you.
4. Get a job. This step is a little less popular, but it is a very realistic step. Make sure that if you take a year off to work so you can pay for tuition, that you keep your goal in mind, which is to go to college. Even if you get a promotion or are offered one, do not let any of that get in the way of attending school. Your prospects will be much better once you graduate, believe me.
5. Let your employer pay your tuition. Many companies offer financial assistance for their employees to go to college. Ask if your particular employer has any such programs and find out the guidelines. Many employers will ask that you work for x amount of years for them after you have graduated. Make sure this is a commitment you want to make, since backing out of the contract means that you have to repay repay your employer for the tuition.

Tips & Warnings

• RESEARCH! I cannot stress this enough. Research, ask around and you might be surprised to find that someone may be willing to help you go through school. It never hurts to ask, does it?
• Beware of any rules and guidelines that need to be followed in order to get a particular scholarship or grant. Make sure it is something realistic for you and your particular situation.