Okay, maybe it’s not all your fault. The colleges themselves have something to do with the high cost, but it’s definitely down to your choices. Are you one of those people who complain about the high cost of their college education? Are you a graduate who gets depressed every time you have to make a ridiculously high student loan payment? If so, could you have done things differently and still received a great higher education?
According to the College Board, the average total published charges for full-time college students by type for 2013-2014 are as follows: Public four-year in-state $18,391; Out-of-state four-year public $31,707; Four-year private nonprofit $40,917. According to another study released by the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), the average debt incurred from student loans had risen to $29,400 for the class of 2012. The 2013 figure was up nearly 10 percent compared to the estimate. of the group of the year. before $26,600. This shows an increase of an average of six percent each year from 2008 to 2012. When students and parents look for someone to blame for the high cost of their college education, they should first look at themselves and reflect on what they could have done. differently. Here are some things to consider.
1. You could have studied more.
As universities compete to attract the brightest students to their school, they are poised to offer the best deals possible, including full travel. Many colleges will offer additional grants and scholarships to high school graduates with high GPA, SAT, ACT scores; these are called merit-based scholarships.
2. You could have gotten more involved.
Most college athletes attend school on an athletic scholarship, however, if you don’t have athletic talent, there are plenty of other extracurricular activities you could have evolved into. Some colleges and universities offer special grants and scholarships to students with particular talents. Music, journalism, theater and volunteering are some of the categories for which these awards are given. In addition to schools that provide scholarships to students with special interests, community and government organizations do as well.
3. You could have fought for more free help.
Simply completing the FAFSA is not enough; nor is it the only step in applying for financial aid. One hundred and fifty billion in financial aid is awarded to college students and more than one million scholarships each year. There are scholarships based on athletic ability, academic merit, disability, race, national origin, religious affiliation, location, financial need, and more. With a little research and patience, you could have found a long list of scholarships that you are eligible for even within your own school and community.
4. You could have chosen a school and major that offered you the best financial aid incentives.
How did you choose the university you applied to? The one with the best reputation, prestige, because your friends and family attended or maybe because you like their football tea? Maybe you went where your boyfriend/girlfriend goes. However, a more responsible way would have been to select the school that offered you the best financial aid package.
When it comes to choosing a major, there can be many factors to think about. Studies have shown that most people don’t work in the field that their degrees lie in; You would have been financially smart if you had chosen a major with the best financial aid incentive. Scholarships and grants vary by major, so with a little research you could have found a college and career field that needed people to fill it and offered various financial incentives to those seeking a major in those fields.
5. You could have stayed in state and off campus.
A state college or university charges lower fees to residents of the state. Since public institutions are subsidized by state revenue, their tuition costs are lower than the costs of private schools. Here are the facts: A student living in her house can save up to $6,000 a year. Some students choose to attend a community college for one or two years and then transfer to a four-year school. Tuition costs are substantially lower at community colleges than at four-year institutions.
6. You may have served in the US Armed Forces.
The military offers many educational benefits that service members can take advantage of during or after service. Service members have access to benefits ranging from financial aid and college funding to programs that convert military training into college credit. Here are some of those programs: Tuition Assistance, Post-9/11 GI Bill, College Fund Programs, Loan Repayment Programs, Servicemember Opportunity Colleges (SOCs), Air Force Community College (CCAF), test programs and others.
7. You could have asked your employer and/or your parents’ employer for help.
Many employers offer Employer Tuition Assistance Programs to their employees and their families. Your employer can offer you up to $5,250 in employer education assistance benefits for undergraduate or graduate school tax-free each year, according to section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code. Another smart strategy would have been to get a job at a university because many universities offer free education to their employees.
8. You could have been strategic with your FAFSA to maximize your awards.
Studies have shown that one in seven FAFSA forms are filled out incorrectly, causing students to leave money on the table. Also, many students never question their financial aid awards. Here are some things you could have done wrong: Waited too long to complete the FAFSA or worse, didn’t complete it at all, kept assets in the student’s name, overstated assets and income, didn’t update the aid office finance when circumstances changed.
9. You could have saved on those expensive books.
You could have rented or bought used textbooks, sold your old book, and reinvested the money for the next game. You could have borrowed, traded, or teamed up with classmates to share the books or the cost. If you did, it would have saved you thousands of dollars a year.
10. You could have kept your grades up.
Almost all funding for college is tied to your grades, every time you dropped out or failed a subject, it may have cost you to retake it, as well as keeping you in school longer which also cost you. If you did not meet your school’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy, you would have lost or risk losing your Federal Student Aid plus any other scholarships, military benefits, and even employer assistance benefits.