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Cutting College Costs
By Candace Bahr
 Hopefully you planned ahead and have
a nice chunk of change set aside for
the costs of college.
Figure out how
much you’ll need for junior’s
education with the Save for College at
VISA USA’s education
website Practical Money Skills.
If your savings come up short, don’t
despair -- there are a lot of things
you can do to cut those education costs.
- Look at all types of scholarships.
Many scholarships are not based
on need. For example, merit, athletic,
and music scholarships are often
available to students who excel in
those areas.
- Apply to a variety of colleges.
Aid packages can vary significantly
from school to school.
- Negotiate. If you are not satisfied
with the aid package a school offers,
talk to the university.
- Start your child at a community
college. Two-year colleges are
a lot cheaper than four-year universities,
especially since most students
live at home while attending. First,
however, your child should determine
which four-year college he/she will
transfer to and make sure that all
credits from the community college
are transferable to the four-year
college.
- Encourage your child to accelerate
his/her studies by taking some
summer classes or extra credits throughout
the year. It’s possible to
finish a four-year degree in three
years. That means considerable
savings for you.
Even if you’ve flunked savings,
with financial aid and scholarships
you can soar to the top of the class.
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