Student loans are OK up to a point – that being the point at which they become unsupportable by the student. Obviously, graduating with no debt is preferable, but I maintain that the student taking the federal Stafford loan is a reasonable part of how to pay for college. The [...]

According to recent reports, student loan debt is pushing a large number of younger Americans into bankruptcy. With too many loans and a labor market that isn’t offering many jobs, they’re falling behind on the monthly payments. More than 4 out of 5 bankruptcy attorneys report significant increases in potential [...]

Two quick notes, one a change in aid that happened, the other a change that didn’t. First, Congress approved a reduction in the income level needed for a zero EFC to $23,000. This means families with incomes between $23,000 and $31,000 will no longer automatically receive a Zero EFC, though [...]

Latest numbers are that sixteen of the twenty three CSU campuses are now impacted (up from eleven in 2010-11). Freshman applications to the UC system are up an incredible 19% this year. The UC’s will deliver decisions on Freshman by end March, transfer students by end April, and wait-listed students [...]

If your high school Senior has no earned income, but has assets that generate interest, dividends, or capital gains, you may have included this income on your tax return in past years. Should you do so again this year? Until now, you have only needed to consider the tax implications; [...]

Excerpts from an article by Allie Gasgreen, Inside Higher Education Magazine, 1/26/2012 As students are becoming more financially strained, they’re also demonstrating a greater investment in schoolwork and less likelihood to “engage in non-academic activities that might interfere with academic gains” (read: drinking and partying). While only 39.5 percent of [...]

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, The College Aid Shuffle by Jessica Silver-Greenberg, resulted in a number of reader comments more interesting than the article itself. The author started with numbers on the increasing expense of education and the disappointing performance of 529 plans, then quoted college planning [...]

You are now able to file the FAFSA application to get financial aid for Seniors attending college this fall. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the key to all financial aid – not only from the Federal government, but also the State and the colleges themselves. It’s [...]

Though not yet entirely settled, the federal budget for 2012 currently preserves the maximum Pell Grant at $5,550. That’s the headline, but hidden in the fine print is the cost to families who are just above the lowest income levels. Preserving the Pell is the top priority of the Obama [...]

Inside Higher Ed reports that December 14th the University of California at Berkeley announced a new plan for middle class California families sending their children to the university. Under the plan, those with family incomes of $80,000 to $140,000 would have to pay only 15 percent of that income to [...]