Cutting College Costs

I've talked before about saving money by either going to a public college for your first couple of years, then transferring into a private school. Here is an example of another way of saving money.

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst guarantees admission to students graduating from an approved Joint Admissions associate degree program through a Mass Community College with at least a 2.5 GPA.

Additionally, if you were able to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, Massachusetts has a program called Tuition Advantage Program which will give you a 33% tuition waiver.

UMass Amherst will go even further by waiving the other 67% of your tuition. This waiver doesn't include fees, but it's still a pretty good deal. Make it through with at least a 3.7 GPA and they will throw in a $500 book scholarship.

There are further scholarships and financial aid available. You can check it out at http://www.umass.edu/umccc/financial-matters.

More Massachusetts College News

At a meeting on March 22, 2011, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education voted to require students entering Mass four year schools starting in the fall of 2016 to take four years of high school mathematics. The actual wording from the committee reads:
Mathematics, 4 courses (Algebra I & II and Geometry or Trigonometry, or comparable coursework) including mathematics during the final year of high school.

This new policy will affect students entering ninth grade in the fall of 2012 and later.

Technorati Tags: College Scholarships Financial Aid Paying for College Massachusetts Scholarship Community College Connection UMass University of Massachusetts

American Cancer Society Offers Scholarships

The California Division of the American Cancer Society is offering $7500 scholarships to California residents who had a diagnosis of cancer before the age of 18. The students must be planning to attend a qualifying two or four year California school and demonstrate financial need. Get more information at the Young Cancer Survivor Scholarship Program website.

Kentucky to Offer Scholarships to Kentuckians who Have Lost Their Jobs

Gov. Steve Beshear and Michael B. McCall, President of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), announced that unemployed Kentucky residents may be eligible for a 50% tuition scholarship for up to six credits per term at all 16 of Kentucky's community colleges. Those who have applied or unemployment benefits after October 1, 2008, are eligible.

Recently added and updated pages at College Scholarships, Loans & Grants
California Loans .

Technorati Tags: College Scholarships Texas Lutheran University Paying for College Young Cancer Survivor Scholarship ProgramKentucky Scholarships

College on a Budget - How to Keep Student Loans From Overwhelming You

As college tuitions continue to rise and scholarships and grants don't seem to be keeping pace, increased college loans have become the only way many students continue their studies. The problem is that you end up with $20-40,000 or even more in loans and you are starting off in a new job at the low end of the pay scale. Students graduating with an advanced degree may be as much as $100,000 in debt.

Do you want to have that kind of debt right out of school? If not, here are a couple of hints that can help you minimize the student loan debt. Where are you planing to go to school? Everybody wants to go to their first choice college and for many, that is a private, high-profile, high-cost college.

Collegeboard.com estimates the average cost of attending a private college during 2007-08 at over $23,000 per year. For a public college or university, the average cost is a bit over $6,000 and for a two year community college, just over $2,300.

Go to a local state college or university, especially for the first couple of years. Resident tuitions are usually much lower than that charged to out-of-state residents. Take your basic courses there and get great grades, then you will have a good chance of transferring to the name school and getting even better financial aid, since you have a proven track record. Of course, once you've been there for awhile, you may just decide that the state school really is pretty good and continue on to finish your studies there.

Cheaper still, go to your local community college first. Many courses will be transferable to a four year college, and the cost per course is far below that of the four year schools.

Consider joining the ROTC program, which can provide you with full tuition as well as a monthly living allowance. You'll need to commit at least four years to active duty in the Armed Forces as an officer. Some careers, such as Air Force pilot, may require a longer period of duty.

For more ideas on cutting down the loan debt load, go to College on a Budget

Technorati Tags: College Loans Financial AidPaying for College Minimizing College Loans