Financial Aid

College and SAT application fees can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars. Learn how to avoid college application and SAT fees.

With budgets slashed, colleges are taking measures that will make the admissions process more selective. Learn how this may affect you.

As someone who has gone to college twice (thanks to a last-minute decision to attend grad school), I’ve amassed a pretty hefty amount of student loans. These loans are a mishmash of subsidized and unsubsidized federal and private loans that have one thing in common: they need to be paid off. Luckily, I was well versed in the art of managing student loans as an undergrad; making a handful of smart money moves then has made these loans manageable now. The secret? Stay informed and don’t wait until graduation to figure out how you’re going to pay everything back.

Wittenberg University's Kristyn Russell is not going to wait for student loan debt to overwhelm her or even hang over her head for a second. Much like in the rest of her very busy life, Russell took charge and made the financially responsible decision to consolidate her loans early and lower the amount she'll have to repay.

Between the fine print and variable interest rates, understanding student loans can be difficult. If you've started researching student loans you’ve probably discovered the two basic types: those that have strict borrowing limits but offer low interest rates, and those that offer all the money you need (and then some) but charge high interest rates.

With college tuition on the rise, more people are looking to scholarships for financial help. But watch out: according to FinAid.org, thousands of people lose money in shady scholarship scams, totaling loses of more than $100 million every year.

Going to graduate school could bring you more money, a better job, teach you more about your field and look really great on your resume.

So the Kiwanis Club gave you the brush-off, you’re maxed out on essay writing, or you just aren’t short enough for the Little People of America Scholarship. Or perhaps you already got a ton of scholarships and you still need more money because college is really frickin’ expensive.

Whether you are a freshman or a senior you probably worry about paying back your student loans. No one wants to start their life in debt. Luckily, there are government loan repayment programs (also called loan forgiveness programs) that can help you. These programs allow students to pursue financial aid via the traditional route.

As the cost of a college education rises, students are finding ways to foot the bill. Across the country, students have won scholarships to pay their way through school. What's their secret? They know where to find scholarships, when to look for them and how to write for them. There's no guarantee you'll win a scholarship, but there are ways to skew the odds in your favor.