This guide is designed to help parents prepare their children for higher education, a career, and life. The first section, "Why Get Ready?" discusses the benefits of higher education and dispels some common myths about higher education and its costs. Other sections of this first part discuss how to ready a child for college at home and at school.…

The materials in this College Planning Guide support a 40-50 minute general college planning presentation. It is most effective when delivered to high school juniors (and their parents) in the spring. It can also be used in the fall with seniors or with sophomores and their parents who desire an overview of the college planning process. The…

This guide to federal Direct PLUS loans for parents of students attending postsecondary education institutions begins with a list of frequently asked questions and answers. The first chapter is on the basics of what a Direct PLUS loan is and what parents need to know before applying for a Direct PLUS loan. The second chapter, which deals with…

This booklet describes the Texas Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Program, known as the Texas Tomorrow Fund. The fund allows parents or others wishing to finance a child's education to prepay tuition and required fees as a condition of enrollment for 1 to 4 years of education at Texas colleges and universities. It can also give a student a big…

This handbook shows how families in various income groups manage to pay for college. The handbook is based on the real experiences of a large number of actual families, as described by national surveys. To find out exactly what it would cost to attend a particular college, the student would have to apply for financial aid, but this guide gives…

The Direct PLUS Loan is one of the low-interest loans provided by the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. The U.S. Department of Education delivers loan proceeds through the student's school, and parents are responsible for repaying the Department. This booklet answers parents' questions about the loan program, including: (1) Am I…

This guide to financial aid programs provides Minnesota students with information on types of aid, qualifications, and how to apply. In the first section, "What is Financial Aid," the guide focuses on the purpose of financial aid, the different sources of financial aid, and how to qualify for aid. The second section, "How Do I Apply for Financial…

This guide explains how to make the most of scholarships, financial aid, and savings, and it reveals lesser-known ways to augment these common resources. The guide is especially useful to families with too much income to qualify for need-based aid, and not enough to pay high tuition rates. The chapters are: (1) "The Three Elements of College…

This resource paper on financial aid for postsecondary education covers various types of financial aid (grants, loans, and employment); the technical words and phrases used to discuss it (such as "financial need,""family contribution," and "financial aid package"); and the process involved in its disbursement. Particular attention is given to…

This guide provides the basic facts about subsidized Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans (Direct Subsidized Loans) and Federal Direct Unsubsidized Staff/Ford Loans (Direct Unsubsidized Loans) and explains the borrower's rights and responsibilities. It contains tips to help the borrower develop a budget for managing education expenses and financial…

This document is a user-friendly student workbook which teaches students how to save money so that they will be able to afford college. It guides six fictional students through chapters about how to earn, save, and budget their money. It makes the connection between having college as a goal, preparing for it financially over the long term, and…

This guide provides support and information for parents whose children are considering or preparing for college. Secondary school preparation, career discernment, college application procedures, admissions tests, financial aid, savings and investment suggestions, student life, "empty nest" concerns, and student health and safety are discussed.

This directory lists over 1,200 merit and other no-need funding and scholarship programs open to students in college and students returning to college for their higher education in the United States. The programs are classified according to course of study in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, or any subject area. Programs reward…

This booklet is designed to help prospective college students and their parents estimate college expenses, understand the financial aid process, become educated consumers of financing alternatives, and manage the repayment of education loans. It provides worksheets on how to figure direct and indirect college costs and how to save for college,…

This booklet provides information about the state of Mississippi's Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program. The state-guaranteed program creates tax-exempt monthly or lump-sum prepayment plans that cover tuition and all mandatory fees at state-supported colleges or universities, are portable to private and out-of-state schools, and can be…