How to Pay for College Without Student Loans: 22 Tips

If you’re not sure how to pay for college without going into debt, you’re not alone. The good news is that it’s possible to fund your higher education without having to take out loans in the first place. Even with the cost of tuition rising, there are more options than ever to pursue a degree without borrowing. It just takes a little bit of creativity — and a lot of careful planning — to pull it off.

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Making Sense of Your Financial Aid Award Letter: What do the numbers mean?

Receiving your financial aid award letter can be an exciting time when you’re prepping for college. You can see how much financial aid you’re eligible to receive per college you’re accepted to. But it can also be confusing – what do the numbers mean? What is the financial aid award letter, and do you need to act on it? Which college has offered you a better “deal?” We’re breaking all of this down for you.

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Completing the FAFSA® for self-employed or small business owners

Increasingly, the “9-to-5” doesn’t represent the landscape of American jobs. Over 10% of the American working population is self-employed, and 16% report working on some sort of freelance or online gig job. But these “unusual” job setups can make it complicated to fill out the FAFSA®. So we’re here to break down how to report parent (or student) finances if you’re self-employed or own a small business.

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14 Most Common FAFSA® Errors

Our team knows the FAFSA®–and the common mistakes made on it. Over the last 3 years, we’ve helped thousands of students fill out the form (using our FAFSA® Made Easier), and walked countless confused parents through how to correctly report their complicated home/financial situation. Here are the top 14 most common FAFSA® mistakes we’ve seen, in rough order of most common to least common.

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How student loans work: The definitive guide to borrowing responsibly for college

The average college graduate comes away with a degree – and $29,000 of student loan debt, requiring an average monthly loan payment of $393. That ends up being a really high percentage of new graduates’ salaries. The problem is: once you’re behind, it can be even easier to get more behind. We’re here to help you figure out how to not let that happen to you. How do student loans work? How do you know how much you can afford to borrow? How do you choose the right (cheapest, most flexible) loan? And how do you best manage the costs?  We’ll get into all that, and more!

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Your Complete Guide to State Grants and Financial Aid

About one-third of college-bound high school seniors don’t fill out the FAFSA® – and therefore miss out on an average of $14,000 per year in financial aid. Even more students don’t fill out their state financial aid forms – despite states granting students an average of $1000 in additional financial aid. Maybe it’s because high school students often don’t realize there’s an extra step beyond the FAFSA®. That’s why we’re here to explain how the state financial aid process works.

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A Guide to Writing the Perfect Financial Aid Appeal Letter

You’ve received your college acceptance letters – but your financial aid award wasn’t enough. Maybe that’s because your top-choice school has offered you less aid than other schools, or because your financial circumstances have recently changed. Don’t worry – your aid offer is not necessarily final. You can write a financial aid appeal letter to request a revised financial aid package. Here’s how.

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Everything You Need to Know About Federal Work-Study Jobs in College

Participating in part-time work-study jobs while at college is a great way to fund your tuition bill or pay for textbooks– all while practicing valuable skills and gaining solid work experience.

But what IS a work-study job anyway? How is the federal government involved? What kind of jobs are there? How much will you get paid? We explain all the details here

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The Only College Financial Aid Guide You’ll Ever Need

Since 1982, the cost has increased by a total of 500%. As a result, about 40% of soon-to-be college students end up turning down their first-choice school and going for a cheaper option. Why has the cost gone up so much? One major reason for such drastic increases in college costs is a lack of funding from state and local governments. As more and more funding is being taken away from universities and colleges, upping tuition rates is an easy way to make up the difference. Other factors have also contributed to this, such as the ‘recreation parks arms race’ to attract students and rise up college rankings.

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The 7 Trickiest FAFSA Questions & How to Approach Them

Every year, college students all over the country complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA. The FAFSA determines student eligibility for federal loans, grants, and work-study as well as financial aid at their colleges and universities of choice.

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How To Find and Apply For Scholarships: A Step-by-Step Guide

Students can expect to pay around $9,970 per year for a public university and $34,740 per year for a private university. One of the best ways to ease the pain of college tuition is earning scholarship awards. Learning how to apply for scholarships can save you a ton of money on tuition, plus it can help you feel more confident going into your college career!

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The CSS Profile vs. the FAFSA & EFC – What’s the difference?

You’re ready to start planning in paying college tuition. But why are there two financial aid forms: the FAFSA and the CSS Profile? How do you prioritize which to fill out? What’s the process? We’re breaking down the differences between the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, from applications to deadlines, and everything in between.

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The Ultimate Guide to Completing the CSS Profile

When it comes to applying for financial aid, most schools and the federal government use the FAFSA to figure out their award packages. But some schools, around 250 to be more exact, use the CSS Profile, which was created by the College Board and looks at student aid from a different perspective. If you’re applying to one of those schools, you’ll need to know how to approach the questions to get as much financial aid as possible.

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