The High Cost of a Cheap College

President Obama called for colleges to rein in their costs during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. But new data shows those who attend schools with lower tuition often end up paying in other ways. Students who go to the most affordable four-year public colleges are more likely to drop out and to fall behind on their student-loan payments, according to the “College Scorecard” that was released by the U.S. Department of Education...

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Tips for Winning College Scholarship Money

Now is the time for incoming college freshmen to start applying for scholarships to help pay for growing tuition costs. According to higher education database BrainTrack, more than $3 billion in private scholarships are awarded to college students each year, with the average award amounting to $2000 to $3000 a year.  But “free money” doesn’t necessarily mean easy money--students must make it their job to put in the time and effort...

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College May Not Be the Best Choice for Your Education Dollar

The traditional route to career success follows a pretty straight academic line: hard work in elementary school, followed by hard work in high school, followed by hard work at the best college you can afford. Vocational education, on the other hand, is often treated as a consolation prize -- the second-best option for the second-best kids. But for a new generation facing rising college tuitions and high post-graduate unemployment, old-fashioned...

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When Is an 'Affordable' College Is 'Not Affordable' at All?

It's easy to imagine that the well-worn path from high school to college to gainful employment has always been the norm, but you don't have to look too far back into the past to find a time when that wasn't the case. Only after the GI Bill took hold following World War II did Americans start going off to colleges en masse. In fact, we only recently surpassed the milestone of 30% of U.S. adults holding a bachelor's degree. That being said,...

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