I recently read a book, Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni, that shed some light on the college admissions hysteria many families find themselves immersed in, particularly those who live in affluent communities. Over the past decade, college admissions rates have plummeted, with some of the elite schools now boasting rates in the 5% range, yet families have become ever more focused on obtaining admission to a small list of these elite schools. Read more
This time of year, parents of high school seniors may find themselves experiencing dual emotions related to their kids – pride over the top-tier colleges their child has been accepted to and shock over how much it’s going to cost. Another emotion might quickly set in for those who haven’t saved enough for college – panic over how in the world they are going to pay for their child’s dream college. With the average annual all-in cost of a private university now approximately $50,000 and some elite schools in the $70,000 range, many people can’t easily pay for college out of cash flow. What’s the panicked parent to do?
Given the ever-increasing cost of college and that 72% of undergraduates take out student loans to help pay for college, it’s worth understanding the student loan choices.