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Financing College: Expert Advice All Parents Should Know


Are you wondering how you can pay for your child’s college education? Need to find the best tips for financing college?

College prices seem to be getting higher and higher, and if you’re not prepared for a strategy for funding your child’s education, then you might run into a lot of frustration. Fortunately, there are ways to handle the cost of college, as long as you give it a lot of careful thought and attention.

Here’s the expert advice you need for funding your child’s college education.

1. Carefully Consider College Options

One of the best ways that you can lighten your burden when paying for your child’s education is to encourage them to go to a more affordable school.

Colleges and universities range in price by quite a bit, although the level of education will be pretty similar with many of them. Especially when it comes to the general education requirements that your child will take for the first couple of years, many schools will be of similar quality.

If your child goes to a more affordable school, at least until their general education courses are completed, you’ll end up saving a lot of money. 

2. Apply For As Many Grants and Scholarships As Possible

Another way to ensure that you can pay for your child’s education is to get as much help as you can get from grants and scholarships. You should make sure to help your child apply for financial aid and scholarships as early as possible when planning their college education.

You’ll also want to encourage your child to keep their grades up so that they’ll have the best chance of getting access to good financial aid and scholarship options.

3. Have Your Child Consider Alternative Paths

In addition to having your child consider cheaper colleges, you may want to encourage your child to consider different educational paths altogether. While college is right for many people, it’s not the only option out there.

Depending on what your child’s aspirations are, they may be better off going to a technical college instead or even launching right into a career directly out of high school. 

You should be sure to talk with your child and find out exactly what path they want to take. Depending on their ambitions, there’s a chance that they may be better off pursuing an alternative to college instead.

4. Look For Tuition Exchange Programs

If you want to have the easiest time affording college, you should make sure that your child is aware of programs that offer college tuition in exchange for service or a commitment of some kind. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, ROTC, and many other programs will offer to pay for college tuition in exchange for a length of time committed to their organization.

If your child happens to be interested in working with some of these organizations anyway, then it may be worth helping them apply for some of these programs in order to reduce or eliminate the cost of tuition.

5. Consider Taking Out a Loan

One of the things you’ll want to think about when funding your child’s college education is whether you want to take out a loan. While your child can get their own student loans to pay for their education, you can also get loans as a parent as well.

The Parent PLUS Loans are one option that you may consider to help with paying for your child’s education. These loans also come with some of the same benefits that regular student loans come with. This includes lower interest rates and pretty easy access.

On the other hand, you’ll want to be careful if you decide to take out a loan to help fund your child’s education. It’s best to use these loans only in conjunction with the other options listed above if you don’t want to get stuck in a cycle of debt.

6. Save Using a Tax-Free Plan

If you want to be able to handle the costs of college for your child, then it’s a good idea to save up money with a tax-free plan. 529 qualified tuition programs serve as a non-taxable option that can allow you to save for education expenses. There are several different plans you can make use of.

Saving money in a tax-free account can allow you to save up money more easily and will help you be ready when the time comes for your child to pursue higher education.

7. Start Saving As Early As You Can

One of the things to remember when saving up for your son or daughter’s education is that you need to start as early on as possible. The sooner you start saving for college, the better off you’ll be when the time comes to pay for it.

Even setting aside a small amount of money each month when your child is young can make a big difference once they’re college-aged. Be sure to set a goal and start chipping away at it little by little well before it’s time for them to choose a school. You may want to work with a financial planner who can help guide you when saving up.

Using These Tips When Financing College

If you want to have the easiest time financing college for your child, be sure to consider all of the tips listed above. By taking the right approach and starting early, you’ll be able to come up with a plan to give your child the education they deserve.



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