If you’re a college student or a parent of a college student, then you are all too aware of how bleeping expensive college tuition is these days. So, that sucks, but there are other place students are wasting money needlessly, exacerbating the financial damage done. Avoid it!
Forbes outlines 10 ways students are throwing money away on everything from school supplies to of course, social life (read: beer). Check out a few here, and the rest of the list at Forbes. [More]
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College Students Are Wasting Money All Over The Place
By 9.19.11
Colleges Banning Sale Of Bottled Water On Campus
By 9.15.11
The college students of America have a drinking problem, but it’s not what you think. [More]
Private Colleges Starting To Offer Four-Year Degree Guarantees
By 9.15.11
Battling concerns from parents and students that they’ll toil in school for a half-decade or more without landing a degree, several private colleges are offering four-year degree guarantees. As long as students agree to meet with advisers and succeed in class, the colleges will waive tuition for any additional years it takes to finish up. [More]
Money-Saving Tips For Students
By 9.2.11
Newsflash for college students: That student loan money may seem like a never-ending fountain of easy cash, but you’ll probably be paying for the ridiculous junk you buy now well into your 30s. Pennies you manage to save now will pay off in the long run. [More]
Illinois College Is First To Ask Applicants If They're Gay
By 8.26.11
Those who are applying to private Illinois liberal arts school Elmhurst College will face a question that’s apparently never been asked by a college admissions system: “Would you consider yourself a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community?” [More]
Kaplan University Demands $3,310.56 After Graduation, Can't Explain What For
By 8.25.11
Melinda has an MBA from Kaplan University, and has enough business sense to know that she shouldn’t have to pay debts that aren’t hers in the first place. The for-profit college, part of the Washington Post Company, has decided that she owes them more than $3,000 even though her tuition was long ago paid with federal financial aid. No one can show her a detailed breakdown of the bill, or explain why no one noticed that she owed the money until months after graduation. Update: Kaplan has since resolved Melinda’s problem. [More]
Setting And Staying On A Budget In College
By 8.4.11
Before you even step foot on campus this fall, you should know your budget as well as you know your class schedule. If you graduate with an A+ in personal finance management, that might be the best lesson you learn in your years of higher education. Here are a few tips, reminders and resources you should take advantage of. [More]
Debt Ceiling Deal Caves In On Some Subsidized Student Loans
By 8.2.11
As if debt-soaked grad students don’t have enough to worry about as they approach graduation, the federal government has provided them with another horrific prospect to go along with the fear of not being able to find a job — the responsibility of paying off student loans while still in school. [More]
Why Students Don't Need iPads
By 7.23.11
With their portability and user-friendliness, tablet computers seem perfect for students. But before you go spending big money on an iPad for a student, you should consider the limitations of the devices. [More]
Best Student Checking Accounts
By 6.8.11
New freshman entering college this Fall should take the time right now to get their banking account set up if they don’t have one already. Consumerist Commentary rounds up the best student checking accounts and compares their benefits and fees. The good news is that the best of the crop have no fees, or fees waived if you can meet some pretty easy requirements. [More]
If For-Profit Colleges Want Federal Student Aid, They Have To Prove Graduates Can Get Jobs
By 6.2.11
A 2010 GAO studied showed that federal aid to students at for-profit colleges had tripled over a five-year period from $8 billion to $24 billion and now accounts for 23% of the total aid given out, even though enrollment at for-profit schools only accounts for 8% of college students. Meanwhile, studies continue to show that an inordinately small number of students at these schools ever graduates. In an effort to cut back on the number of people left with mammoth amounts of student loan debt they can’t pay back, the U.S. Dept. of Education has issued a new edict: Show us your college actually prepares students for gainful employment or risk losing out on that lovely loan money. [More]
Quantifying The Value Of College Degrees
By 5.31.11
As college costs continue to rise, it’s reasonable to step back and take a look at how much a bachelor’s degree may be worth in terms of career earnings. [More]
Credit Cards Pitches Return To Campus
By 5.13.11
Despite being largely banned by the CARD act, credit card issuers have figured out how to get around its provisions and still reach college kids, reports WSJ. Here’s what they’re doing: [More]
Civil Rights Group Sues Maryland's Education Commission For Discrimination
By 5.12.11
Maryland’s Higher Education Commission faces a lawsuit brought by a civil rights advocacy group that alleges the state’s treatment of its traditionally black institutions promote segregation and unfair education opportunities. [More]
Class Of 2011 Have Most Debt Of All Time
By 5.10.11
Congratulations, graduating class of 2011. You’ve pulled all-nighters, subsisted on ramen for weeks, and worn pajamas to class, all to achieve the beautiful shining goal of a college degree. Add to that another distinction, one that probably won’t be mentioned during too many commencement speeches. You’re also graduating with the highest debt of all time, an average of $22,000 a person. Hope that business about a degree giving you a higher earning potential is true, because you’re gonna need it. [More]
Win $5,000 Scholarship For Wearing Duct Tape To Prom
By 4.22.11
For those of us not lucky enough to be born poor or smart, there are tons of other scholarships out there that reward uniqueness, skills and “just being yourself.” For instance, there’s the $5,000 you and your date could win for wearing an outfit made of Duct Tape to prom. [More]
Colleges Accepting Students But Telling Them To Wait A Year Or Two
By 4.11.11
To counter enrollment dips brought on by students who drop out or move on, some colleges have taken to accepting students, but only if they attend a different school for a predetermined length of time and maintain a certain GPA. [More]
Facebook App To Automatically Match College Students With Financial Aid
By 4.8.11
MTV and The College Board recently teamed up for something called the College Affordability Challenge, a contest to create digital tools that will help to make navigating the financial aid maze even slightly easier. Earlier this week, they announced the winner, a Facebook application that takes users’ info and matches them up with the most appropriate aid providers. [More]
