Here are the eight scams that all of you college students should avoid. Be skeptical of everything that sounds too good t be true.
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1. Bogus Scholarship Help

Some companies prey on incoming college students by promising to find scholarships to pay for their schooling. Typically, this involves the student (and more importantly, the parents) attending a seminar that promises “insider information” that will get students the perfect scholarship. The company then uses high-pressure sales techniques to get you to pay on the spot for its services. But, according to the Federal Trade Commission, here are some signs that this might be a scam:

The company offers a money-back guarantee that you’ll get a scholarship. No company can guarantee what a legitimate scholarship committee will decide…

MORE >>>> http://globaleducationsearch.com/online-degree-articles/beware-college-students-8-scholarship-scams/

The most galling thing about the state of Texas rescinding its refund policy on its oldest prepaid college tuition plan is not the broken promise.
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It’s not even the use of fine print to change the terms of signed contracts more than six years after the deals were struck.
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No, the most appalling aspect of this administrative sleight of hand is that the state wants to be paid for not doing what it said it would do.
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When the Texas Tomorrow Fund was started, it promised parents if they had to cancel a prepaid tuition contract, possibly because a child didn’t go to a state school or received a full scholarship, the fund would provide a payout based on current tuition and fees at public universities.
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That incentive made investing in the fund a no-lose proposition for parents with young children and the means to prepay college tuition. Everything families put into the fund, plus more, would be returned even if they canceled the contract.
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But now the managing board for the fund, which has been closed to new participants since 2003, has voted to renege on the refund rules.
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No word on interest
Starting Nov. 1, parents who signed up for the fund between 1996 and 2003 and who cancel contracts will only be reimbursed what they paid into the fund, minus about $36 in administrative fees for every year the money was invested in the fund.
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Texas, which has had the use of these people’s money for as long as 13 years in some cases, wants to charge them a fee for using their money. Notice, the state is not saying a word about paying them any interest.
So basically, anyone who cancels one of these contracts after Nov. 1 would have done better putting the cash they “invested” in the prepaid fund into an empty jar instead.
Upset families
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“I would not be surprised if some upset families file an action about this,” said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, a Web site on student financial aid. “They should start writing letters to their state representatives now to get this changed.”
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Joe Hurley, founder of SavingforCollege.com, said the Texas action besmirches the reputation of all state-sponsored college savings and investing vehicles, commonly called 529 plans.
What you can do
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Folks with these contracts do have some other options:
• Stay in the fund and insist your child attend a Texas public university.
Even if the fund runs out of money, which it is predicted to do in the next decade, the plan is backed by the full faith and credit of the state as written in the Texas Constitution.
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The prepaid fund that was created to replace Texas Tomorrow does not have that same guarantee.
“If your kids get scholarships, try to hold on and use the money for graduate school,” said state Sen. Rodney Ellis of Houston, who bought prepaid tuition contracts for his children.
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• Cancel the contract before Nov. 1 and invest the payout in a 529 college savings account.
Unlike the prepaid plans, the savings accounts are similar to retirement funds that give you control over how the money is invested. And those who do not want to think too much about investment strategies can place the money in funds that change the asset mix as a child ages so it becomes less risky over time.
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“The rule of thumb on shopping for 529 savings plans is you look at both your own state’s and any other state that has fees of less than 1 percent,” Kantrowitz said.
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No state income tax
You look at your own state’s plan so you can take full advantage of any state income tax breaks that may be available. Since Texas does not have a state income tax, feel free to search the country for the best plan for you.
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The refund policy was too generous to begin with, and the change in the policy, maddening as it may be to participants, will fix only a small part of the college fund deficit going forward.
Texas is still grappling with how it’s going to get the program out of this deep hole.
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source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/buggs/6616921.html

John and Michelle Kazanjian, small-business owners in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and parents of five girls, are lucky their daughters are as industrious as they are. But the couple still needs to find ways to pay for college — and soon.

Fortunately for their parents, the older Kazanjian girls have won generous grants: Ani, a senior at Johns Hopkins University, has an ROTC scholarship. Mary Beth, who just graduated from Hillsdale College, had a scholarship covering 50 percent of expenses and entered as a sophomore, thanks to Advanced Placement courses and college credits she had accumulated in high school. And Gina, a high-school junior, just qualified for a National Merit Scholarship. (The younger girls are 15 and 11.)

That said, most parents overestimate their children’s ability to win these financial awards, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and director of advanced projects at FastWeb.com, a scholarship search service. Only one in 10 full-time students at four-year schools gets private scholarships, and their average total is $2,815. And even the most generous scholarships are unlikely to cover college costs completely.

MORE >> http://moneywatch.bnet.com/retirement-planning/article/catch-up-on-college-savings/339425/

The Obama administration has made it clear that college affordability for the less fortunate is a high priority on the presidential to-do list. One of the major stumbling blocks in getting economically challenged students into college has been complete and utter frustration when it came to applying for federal funds through the FAFSA (Free Education for Federal Student Aid) application. Rather than make their way through the complicated form, many families would simply throw up their hands and walk away.

As Education Secretary Arne Duncan once said as he spoke off the cuff to a small group of reporters, “This damn form was killing us.” He was referring to his time as superintendent of Chicago’s public school system and the role the FAFSA form played in preventing students from low-income families from applying to college.

In order to combat this problem, the DOE intends to gradually introduce changes to address this and other problems recognized with the current application process:

- No longer requiring students with low incomes to answer questions about their parents’ financial assets.

- Questions concerning drug convictions will only be asked to returning students since it does not apply to first-year students.

- Potentially allocate Pell Grants based on the aid applicant’s adjusted gross income (AGI) vs. the current needs analysis formula, which takes into consideration the income and assets of both the parent and the student.

- Provide incentives to institutions that admit a larger ratio of students from low income families by increasing their access to federal money.

- Simplify the FAFSA form through the elimination of questions that would allow financial aid need, and therefore eligibility, to be based upon approximately 18 questions that are contained on the federal tax form. This would give the applicant the opportunity to instruct the IRS to send the information directly to the DOE, hence, streamlining the aid process. A test of this communication between government agencies that will allow students to send Mom and Dad’s tax information to the DOE for financial aid eligibility purposes is scheduled for January of 2010 for aid assistance during the spring semester of that same year.

- Potentially eliminating some or all of the asset assessment for every applicant.

- Consider eliminating interest subsidies for students as they attend school.

- Consider capping the maximum amount of federal loans available for the student to borrow based upon the federal poverty level for individuals.

Determining how to implement some or all of the above with the blessings of universities across America could potentially be a tricky road for the administration to maneuver. Most universities and states use information obtained from the FAFSA to determine student eligibility for the institution’s own funds. If they feel that the revised edition of the FAFSA is incomplete regarding the information needed to determine allocation of institutional funds, they may be compelled to create their own form to assist with this determination.

This, in essence, would create a new profile form for public institutions. And for those of you who have had experience with this form, which is used by approximately 300 elite and private institutions across the country, you may have already guessed that this may create a whole new set of road blocks in obtaining preferred financial assistance for those who are already expected to pay for their child’s education.

source: http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Marc-Hill-5007/FAFSA-65663.php

Your decision to apply to college is a very important one. You will be getting specialized training and education that can help you get the career of your choice. The biggest problem, however, is paying for this education. There is financial aid available to help you on the way to your future success.
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Financial aid is simply the assistance you can get to pay for your education. This can be provided by a number of sources, including the state, government and private sources. It may come in the form of a grant, a loan, a scholarship or even work-study arrangements. Billions of dollars are given to students every year – meaning that half of students will receive aid for their education.

MORE >>>> http://www.globaleducationsearch.com/financial-aid/student-aid-how-to-pay-for-college/

It often seems that the star athlete, musical prodigy or class valedictorian has a lock on lucrative college scholarships.

Yet there are ways to get financial assistance for higher education even if a student isn’t team captain or doesn’t make the grade on academic merit.

Many universities and private sponsors make scholarship money available to students who don’t particularly excel on the field or in the classroom.

In fact, fewer than 1 percent of students receive athletic scholarships, said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of college financial-information Web sites.

“There are plenty of scholarships out there that don’t require you to be a star athlete or the top of your class,” Kantrowitz said. For example, the David Letterman Scholarship at Ball State University rewards students with “an average yet creative” mind, he said.

“There’s even a scholarship from a duct-tape manufacturer for making a prom outfit out of duct tape,” he added.

If you need aid for the school year beginning this fall, apply now because many deadlines have already passed.

“There are still some scholarships with August deadlines that pay the award in September, but once we get into the fall, what you’ll find will be entirely for the next academic year,” Kantrowitz said. “Start searching now so you know what’s available.”

The first step when looking for financial aid for any student – all-star, academic or average Joe – should be to fill out the U.S. Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

Completing the FAFSA helps determine whether a student is eligible for aid from the school as well as federal and state governments in the form of grants and low-interest loans. The FAFSA can be found online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

“If you’re looking for ways to help finance your educational expenses, absolutely, unequivocally, filing the FAFSA is the most important thing, and is the starting point,” said Richard Bellows, executive director of financial aid at Butler University.

The FAFSA, which has to be refiled for each school year, can be submitted as late as the end of the academic year for which you’re looking for aid – but it’s best to fill the form out early each calendar year.

Filing in January or February means there’s more money to go around, but aid is still available for students who start school this fall and haven’t submitted the FAFSA – if they file as soon as possible, Bellows said. He noted that needy students can still qualify for the federal Pell Grant, for example.

“There’s still the opportunity for some financial aid, but if you don’t file the FAFSA and you don’t look into it, you’re not going to know whether you’re qualified.”

Those getting ready to begin their senior year of high school should use the time they have to prepare and research financial aid deadlines and school procedures, said Cindy Bailey, a senior policy analyst and former executive director of education finance services at College Board, a not-for-profit organization that serves students.

“One of the first things they should be thinking about is where they want to go to school, the tests they have to take, the timetable and then beginning the conversations with institutions,” she said. “Most colleges will be happy to talk to kids about their financial aid options early in the process.”

It’s beneficial for students to use other areas in which they excel – whether their abilities are in cooking or mechanical engineering – as a means for obtaining scholarships, Kantrowitz said. Students looking for niche scholarships should create an “accomplishments resume,” where they list hobbies and areas in which they excel, he said.

“There are essay competitions, artistic competitions, competitions for every hobby under the sun,” Kantrowitz said. “If you want to attract schools’ attention or scholarship sponsors’ attention, pick your favorite hobby and try to go all the way in that hobby.”

Once students have outlined a clear picture of what they’re good at, it’s time to do the homework.

“They can use (the resume) as a basis to start searching for scholarships that match their background,” Kantrowitz said. For instance, FinAid.com provides a list of scholarships for average students as well as scholarships for volunteering and community service.

Students and their families should look at scholarship search engines and publications about the student’s financial aid options, added Bailey.

Applicants should also discuss scholarship options with high school guidance counselors and university personnel.

In addition, some fraternal organizations and unions sponsor scholarships for students whose family are members, she said.

Said Bailey: “Research as much as you can.”

source: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090813/ARTICLES/908131035/1002?Title=Scholarships-for-non-scholars-

Have you heard of the Perkins student loan? The Perkins loan works similar to other programs with a few enhancements. Look below for information on this little brother to the Stafford student loan program.

In addition, you’ll find some hints on how to get one, where to look, and other tips for finding more financial aid.

What is a Perkins Student Loan?
The Perkins program offers federally sponsored student loans to university and college students for undergraduate and graduate studies. Unlike the Stafford program, which any college student can apply to, the Perkins limits applications.

With a Perkins, you actually borrow from your school, not a bank. And you repay the school, too. To get one, you have to demonstrate financial need. You have to fill out a FAFSA form, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, online and you’ll get an answer telling you if you qualify.

One cool aspect of the Perkins, sometimes you can get them cancelled if you are a public school teacher in a shortage are or subject. You have to apply for cancellation. Nice if you qualify.

To get one of these loans, you must attend a college that offers this program. Just call your financial aid office and ask if the school offers the Perkins student loan. Then, the school splits up the funds they have available among the students that qualify.

Can a Perkins Student Loan be part of a Consolidation Loan?
Your Perkins loan can be included in a consolidation loan package. You can usually lower your interest rate by doing this. Just make sure before you do it that you don’t qualify for loan cancellation.

Once you consolidate, you can’t go back and get it cancelled. If you don’t qualify, or don’t plan to teach school, it doesn’t really affect you.

Also, if your college or university doesn’t offer much in your Perkins loan, you may be able to get a Stafford instead.

What If You Don’t Qualify?
It happens. Your FAFSA doesn’t qualify you for student loans. First, apply for scholarships. You never know when you’ll win one. Apply at your college, in your home town, in your state, at your employer, at the local chamber of commerce. Apply wherever you see scholarships available.

And remember, new ones pop up every year. Not all scholarships are talent based or even based on grade point average. Some are like a lottery, given at random, and some are contests. Learn to apply to these and to do a good job with your application, and you will win more of them.

Next, if you have to borrow, be careful. You’ll have to pay this money back, and you don’t want to carry around a backpack loaded with debt your whole life. Keep the loans as low as possible to get an education and finish.

Then, pay them off as fast as you can.

Another tip: don’t make my mistake. Test out of as many college classes as you can. Use the Dantes or CLEP or AP program. And ask you university if they offer more classes you can test out of.

source: http://www.7books.com/Art/4506/297/The-Perkins-Student-Loan-Is-It-The-Best-Loan-for-You.html

This afternoon in Michigan, President Obama will announce a new $12 billion, ten-year initiative to improve the nation’s community college success and graduation rate. That hefty price tag is sure to stoke some anger on the Hill.

Deputy Undersecretary of Education Bob Shireman explains the financing this way, “This would be fiscal year [20]10 money and, assuming that congress does this in the reconciliation bill that will be considered over the next few months, it would be in the first six months of next calendar year.”

Shireman adds, “Our hope is to include it in a balanced piece of legislation that eliminates waste in the student loan programs, increases Pell Grant funding and reduces the deficit.”

With this money, President Obama hopes to reach a new goal of 5 million additional community college graduates by the year 2020. This would further his oft-stated goal of the US leading the world in proportion of citizens with college degrees by the same year.

There are currently 6 million students in community colleges. The administration officials didn’t have on-hand the average proportion of community college graduates a year, but you’ll probably hear Obama using the number 11 million tomorrow.

Though the graduation rate is clearly not 100% or they wouldn’t be announcing this effort, officials on the call just added that 6 million number to their additional 5 million by 2020 goal, to bring the total to 11 million graduates by 2020.

To that end, Mr. Obama will roll out four main policy initiatives.

Here’s a detailed break-down of those initiatives and where the money will be spent:

1- Community College Challenge Grants

Issue being tackled: “under-funding” of community colleges and limited of capacity to launch new initiatives, finance technical training, provide adequate counseling, etc.

> Funding will be awarded on competitive basis. The ones that work will receive continued funding.

> Will try business partnerships so community colleges can work with employers to coordinate curriculum geared to workplace, align with businesses that offer internships, develop career pathway programs: workers can earn additional credentials to get promotions at work, integrating w/four-year colleges so academic credit can be transferred seamlessly, etc. For students struggling: more and better remedial and adult education and counseling services.

Again: Only those with results continue getting funding. This is similar to Education Secretary Duncan’s Race to the Top Fund.

> Cost: undetermined share of $9 billion, along with Access and Completion Fund

2 – Access and Completion Fund

Issue being tackled: 40-50% of community college entrants who say they will earn a degree or transfer to four-year college fail to do so.

> Want to test ideas like colleges designed around needs and schedules of working adults. These will be performance-based scholarships. Will “insist” on results. Will also help states develop way to track student progress, graduation rates and employment outcomes.

> Cost: undetermined share of $9 billion, along with Community College Challenge Grants

3- Modernizing Community College Facilities

Issue being tackled: Many suffer from outdated facilities, lack of classroom space, unable to keep up with maintenance costs.

> Going to invest $2.5 billion dollars “in order to spark $10 billion in renovation and construction at community colleges nationwide”. Can be used to pay interest on bonds or loans to seed capital campaigns or for states to create revolving loan funds.

4- Open Online Courses

Issue being tackled:”There is tremendous potential for online course material to improve student learning. There is reason to think that online materials can be more effective than classroom instruction alone.” (James Kvaal, Special assistant to the President for economic policy)

> Some of promising approaches: artificial intelligence tutoring and multi-media courses.

> Gonna provide seed funding to bring experts together to develop best possible curriculum. Courses will be avail through community colleges, DoD, others. Will evaluate to be sure boosting student learning.

> Cost $500 million

> Take year or two to develop the courses, maybe sooner.

> DoD been using a lot of these technologies and haven’t released the best of what they have. Will be tapping DoD for this technology.

> Would NOT be owned by fed government. Would be grants to others. Condition would be that it’s in public domain, so could be used for free by anyone.

Background on community college system:

* Junior college system began to grow after WWII when vets came back to America. Truman opened door. Then 50s-today, growing exponentially.

* Changed from “junior” college to Community College System.

* Served lots of women who were cut out at first, economically disadvantaged, etc. Today: people transitioning from welfare to work, prison systems.

* Significant economic hardship. Concerned about access and opportunity during this economic climate.

* Expanding pell grants and college tax credits have helped a lot so can say doors will be wider for all to particip.

* Six mill americans in community colleges.

source: http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/07/14/obama-to-pump-money-into-community-colleges/

What Are Nursing Scholarships?

Scholarship programs are available for students pursuing their education in the field of nursing. Scholarships have rather become a necessity for nursing educational programs due to their demanding and time consuming nature. Students who take up nursing programs are seriously finding it difficult to manage their studies, work and family responsibilities. It is just impossible to work full time having taken up nursing as main stream of education. Hence scholarships surely relieve students of their financial stress and tension. How do we go about scouting for nursing scholarship programs?

How Do You Find Available Nursing Scholarships?

A search for scholarship programs is all the same no matter the area of specialization.

Access the internet and search for scholarship programs online.

Search for scholarship programs offered by well known institutions. Following are some of the websites that you normally look up to:

The American Nurses Association

State Boards of Nursing

The American Association of Colleges of Nurses

These institutions understand the need for scholarship support and thereby intend to help students become professional nurses.

Out of the many resources available internet is one of the best. Scholarship sources available over the net help you find the most suitable scholarship programs provided you give them the basic details about your search for scholarship programs.

The next best place that you should look into is the school of study you wish to attend. Most of the colleges offer scholarship programs for their students. It is upto the students to verify the aid factor for the nursing courses.

It is good to know that scholarships are offered not just for any particular course, but also for common and unique reasons. Like scholarship for women, people who write with their left hand, tall people, short people, people with similar names. The list goes never ending. Apart from trying for scholarships specific to nursing course of study, one can also try for other forms of financial scholarships offered that will help them in meeting their financial needs.

source: http://aboutonlinedegrees.org/blog/nursing-scholarship/

When paying for college, there are two alternatives to getting student loans. The first is using scholarships, programs from your workplace, and savings to pay for college up front and as you go. The second is agreeing to pay your school directly at a later date.

Initially, the second option sounds more attractive than student loans. Why go through the stress and complexity of getting loans, perhaps from different companies, when you can work with the school itself?

The writer is stuck in a tough situation. Her school won’t release the diploma until she pays for her entire degree. But, apparently, in order to get a job in her field (nursing) she needs the school to release the diploma. Otherwise, she’ll be stuck working in another field, or taking a much lower-paying related job.

I’m not sure how important having a physical diploma is to getting a nursing job–I know that no one has asked to see mine for any jobs so far. I also don’t know if her school would confirm her degree without the full repayment. I left a few suggestions for how she might be able to explain her situation, but it depends on the hospital or employer. After all, medicine is a field that should have higher standards than most for making sure people are properly educated and trained.

So what should one do in a situation like this?

Student loans definitely suck, but there are better and worse people (or organizations) to owe money. It turns out that student loan companies aren’t actually the worst. So before agreeing to pay your college after you graduate, be sure that upon graduation you’ll have all the necessary tools to be in a position to pay them back.

In the writer’s case, I think it’s in the school’s best interest to work with her so that she can get her diploma. If they won’t, it’s possible she can get student loans to pay them off–though it’ll be harder than if she were still attending the school.

So remember when taking on loans for anything. It’s not just what you owe and at what interest rate. Who you owe also matters–which credit card company, which organization, etc.

source: http://www.mrsmicah.com/2009/07/10/college-withholds-diploma-until-paid/