As a graduate student, the pressure is higher than ever and of course, your classes are likely more expensive than your undergraduate career. The majority of loan products available to you are graduate Stafford loans, graduate PLUS loans and private student loans.Getting back to the primary question, why pick a graduate PLUS loan?There are some differing schools of thought on this, but I’ll break down the benefits and differences so you can decide which makes more sense for your financial information.Grad PLUS = 7.9% fixedPrivate = variable, based...

As a recent graduate, I say with utmost certainty that the major thing keeping me from doing masters degree right away is the crazy price tag. Well, that and I want to work a few years beforehand.If there is one trend that has continued unabated by the economy, it is the growth of tuition costs in education. Schools have announced hikes of anywhere between 4-8% for their students to meet next year; this is a staggering jump on a product that many argue is already overpriced.So, how can we beat the high cost of an advanced degree?There are a number...

If you borrowed tens of thousands of dollars from someone, knowing you would eventually have to pay them back, more than likely over several years, you would think the person from whom you borrowed would be a high priority. But amazingly, the vast majority of people who borrow thousands of dollars in student loans have no idea who their lender is.Now granted, if you are still in school, it really doesn’t matter. Your lender only comes into play around repayment time. But if you have recently graduated...

A number of loan contracts and details differ based on the enrollment status of the student. Unfortunately, each college and educational institution may define the terms of enrollment differently. In most cases, enrollment must be at least half-time to qualify for financial aid at all.When looking at graduate schools, you may be wondering how many credit hours are needed to be considered a full-time student, versus a half-time student. Here are some guidelines based on information gathered from a few types of schools:Semester-based school with...

Not everyone is aware of all the loan options available to pay for college. Here are just a few to consider:1) Federal Stafford Loans – These are federally guaranteed student loans. You can apply for subsidized Stafford loans and the government will pay the interest for you while you are enrolled. This is a great option for students and the most popular loan program available.2) Parent PLUS Loans – The Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students allows parents to borrow through the federal loan program to pay for their child’s education. The loan is...

Hey graduates! If you were a business major for your undergraduate studies or are interested in business, check out this new certificate program offered by Stanford University:The Stanford Graduate School of Business will launch a new 20-week evening Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in January. Applications for this certificate program are now available.Aimed at industry participants who do not have an MBA, as well as entrepreneurial graduate students, the non-degree program will expose participants to fundamentals of business and practical...

Now that graduation season is upon us, we asked students to share with us the amount of debt they have accumulated (and will soon need to repay). Here are the results of our poll:It’s awesome, albeit surprising, to see the number of students graduating debt free- conGRADulations! For everyone else, loan repayment might be a growing concern as that 6 month date draws nearer. If you’re concerned about making payments for whatever reason, there are some steps you can take to either lower or postpone...

Guys, I’m sure most of you are well aware of the option to register for Selective Service (yup, the draft) once you turn 18, but did you know that it could have severe financial repercussions if you don’t? Unfortunately, many students either do not sign up on purpose or simply forget to, however this can affect how much money you get for school!There is a federal rule that states that “Any man required to register with Selective Service at any time must have done so to receive aid.” If you’re 25...

For seniors, graduation is quickly approaching! Unfortunately, so are those pesky loan repayments, yikes! Take a few seconds to vote on our most recent poll to let us (and all those soon-to-be-graduates out there) know how much debt you’ll be graduating with, and see where you fall on the scale!View Student Loan Debt Survey Results summarizing the results (as of May, 15)If you’re graduating with loans, make sure to look into loan consolidation to help with repayment!  Still in school?  Find a better way to pay search for scholarships...

Often times, federal loans just aren’t enough to pay for the full gamut of education expenses in college. In my personal experience, federal aid usually covered about 70% of my tuition/fees, but I had to seek alternative financing for the other 30%.A supplemental student loan (also known as a private loan) can help in this department by covering up to your full cost of attendance. This can include costs such as off-campus housing rent, books, lab fees, a computer and of course, your tuition.A supplemental loan is different from federal loans because...

As a graduate student, the pressure is higher than ever and of course, your classes are likely more expensive than your undergraduate career. The majority of loan products available to you are graduate Stafford loans, graduate PLUS loans and private student loans.Getting back to the primary question, why pick a graduate PLUS loan?There are some differing schools of thought on this, but I’ll break down the benefits and differences so you can decide which makes more sense for your financial information.Grad PLUS = 7.9% fixedPrivate = variable, based...