paying for college

Which Expenses are Typically Paid by Students?

pic from flickr user quinn.anya http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/5308895065/

(photo from flickr user quinn.anya)

 

2013 College Student Pulse, a new survey jointly released by Seventeen & Citi on college finances, revealed some very interesting information about college students working and paying for the many costs of college.

Stats from Sallie Mae How America Pays for College 2013

 

 

Sallie Mae's How America Pays for College 2013 came out recently. Like previous years (the report has been published annually since 2008), it shows interesting trends on both the cost of college and how families are responding to dealing with costs.

 

Below, we've compliled a few highlights.

 

Sallie Mae Graphic on Sources of College Payment for 2012-2013 Academic Year

Fidelity’s Cost-Conscious College Graduates Study

 

 

 

The findings from Fidelity Investments' study of recent college gradiates was just released. The study covered graduates of the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013.

 

Parents and Loans for Postsecondary Education, Wall Street Journal Article

 

 

As the costs of college have risen, so has the number of parent loans and the amount borrowed by parents.

 

A recent Wall Street Journal article discussed this rise. Citing FinAid.org, "over 17% of graduates in the 2011-12 academic year had parent Plus loans borrowed for them, which are loans available directly from the federal government, each with an average $33,800."

 

Just how big a rise is that from previous parent borrowing? "That's up from 13% with about $23,300 on average in the 2007-08 academic year."

 

How Big a Problem is Student Loan Debt?

 

 

Recently, the Atlantic posted an article called The Myth of the Student-Loan Crisis. It's worth the quick read, but it's also worth a discussion.

 

529 Plans: the facts and factors of these saving plans

 

 

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report regarding 529 Plans. 529 Plans are widely-accessible savings plans that parents can use to contribute to future college expenses. Citing difficulty for many to pay for college (largely due to rapid increases in college costs), the GAO decided to look at the value and use of 529 Plans, which receive certain tax preferences--$1.6 Billion in 2011 alone.

 

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