The Biggest College Cost Parents Don't Think About
Did you know that because of students' difficulty in getting required classes or changes in majors, the average college graduate ends up paying for 4.5 years of tuition? And for millions of families, it’s five, or even six years! Yet almost no family plans for that extra cost, which can cause financial havoc. Here’s some advice on how you can cap college costs at four years.
One of the most important steps you can take is to choose a college that has demonstrated success in getting students through on time. MONEY’s college rankings are the only ones that take into account—and tell you—how long it takes the typical student to finish. Just click on the link of any college you’re interested in to see all kinds of important information, including the average number of years it takes students to earn a bachelor's degree.
MONEY-SAVING ADVICE FOR COLLEGE PARENTS AND STUDENTS
Which College Invented Streaking? Or goldfish swallowing? Or letter grades? Lots of surprising college trivia in this quiz.
You Can’t Work Your Way Through College Anymore
The number of work hours it takes to pay for college has more than doubled.
It’s Getting Easier to Shop for Colleges
When college was more affordable and less crucial to a career, it didn’t matter so much that schools were secretive about how much they were charging different students. But now that a college education can cost more than a house, families need to be able to search for the best value at the best price. So a growing number of government agencies, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs are creating the information tools consumers need to make money-smart choices. Of course, we think the MONEY best value college rankings are a great resource because we provide the only one-stop site that combines tons of data on affordability, educational quality, and career outcomes into one easy-to-use rating. But here’s a story outlining some additional resources.
How to Find a College for a Student With Unique Interests—Like Bear Biology
For a lot of specialties, such as architecture, music, or bear biology, the Ivies are nowhere near the best option. A new book tells how to find the best colleges for students with specific academic interests.
Georgina Bloomberg Regrets Not Taking Her Father’s College Advice
Maybe if you can get your kids to read this, they’ll follow your advice?
Featured Scholarship
What makes a great backpack? If you can write a compelling 500-word essay on that subject, you might win a $5,000 scholarship from SwissGear. Deadline is Aug. 31. More info
Important Upcoming Deadlines
Aug. 1 is the opening day for the Common App. But don’t worry, even the earliest college application deadlines give you until Oct. 15 to turn everything in. And most colleges’ regular application deadlines aren’t until this winter.
Aug. 1 is the fall tuition payment deadline at many colleges. Take a few minutes now to make sure all of your loan documents and aid applications are filled out, and the bill has been covered.
Aug. 5 is the last regular registration date for the Sept. 10 sitting of the ACTs.
Best wishes,
Kim
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