Getting Through College Without Student Loans

According to statistics compiled U.S. Department of Education, two-thirds of students now leave their alma mater with debt from student loans and the average amount of student loan debt among these graduates is a stunning $ 23,186.

These student debt numbers go hand in hand with reports from the College Board, which four years public colleges and universities now charge, on average, about $ 7,600 a year tuition and fees in state students and nearly $ 12,000 in the out-of -state students. Private nonprofit four years of colleges and universities average more than twice that, costing about $ 27,300 students per year in tuition and fees.

with the average tuition cost of four-year degree run between $ 36,000 and $ 108,000 - and that's without counting are not college tuition expenses such as room and board, textbooks, transportation and living expenses - it is easy to understand why they have become so common a part of students' financial aid packages.

A growing number of students who graduate with college credits, however, finding it difficult to repay their student loan debts. Department of Education statistics show that nationally, about 7 percent of loans that have entered into a return on their federal education loans in 2008, held in the first year of repayment, and almost 14 percent are not held within three years. (2008 is the last full year for which student loan default statistics are available .)

as a consumer and student advocacy groups like the Project on Student Debt and the Institute for College Access and Success alerted to the problem of the spread of ballooning student loan debt, spiking default rates, a growing number of recent graduates who find themselves in need some students are looking for ways to pay for college without taking on debt from school loans.

graduating from college debt-free is certainly possible, but it may require some careful planning, creative financing, and potentially some adjustments in your college plans.

1) Pay As You Go

If your school offers tuition payment plans, consider avoiding student loans in favor of "pay-as-you-go" model. By taking advantage of the school payment plan you can pay for college in smaller increments, rather than as one big chunk all at once.

Many colleges and universities now offer monthly payment plans that allow you to spread the cost of your tuition and fees during the semester and pay their college expenses in monthly installments. You May be charged a small one-time or monthly fee when you opt for a plan to pay tuition, but once you've earned your degree, you'll be able to leave school without a student loan debt.

2) scholarships and grants

Spend some time each month searching for, and support. There are several online scholarship search engines that allow you to search a database of awards for free. Scholarships and grants to provide "free money" for college, which, unlike student loans, you will not have to go back.

with millions of public and private scholarship programs available, deadlines fall throughout the year. To increase the number of awards you can apply for, be sure to look constantly throughout the year, not only during the summer, just before school bills come due, and when the competition will be the steepest.

3) Refusal of student loans Prize

In order to qualify for federal grants, you will need to apply for federal college financial aid each year. When you apply for federal student aid, you are likely to be awarded federal student loans, as well.

Know that you are not obligated to accept any student loans you are offered. When you receive your financial aid package from the school, you may simply want to accept these awards - grants, scholarships, work-study - and to refuse loans do not have

.

Just keep in mind that refuse their federal college loans can have its drawbacks. Since federal student aid funds are limited and often distributed on a first-come, first served basis, once refused a loan schools may not be available for you to later semester or year. If you encounter a situation where you are looking for financial assistance in mid-semester, because expected scholarships or part-time job did not materialize or are saddled with unexpected costs, and suddenly do not have enough money to pay monthly tuition, federal loans ruled at the beginning of the semester may no longer be available to you if you decide later that you need them.

4) avoidance of Private Student Loans

In an emergency, if you need money for college and your federal loan options have dried up, you can still decide to take on private student loan to cover the remaining college expenses you have. Private student loans are federal, credit based loans issued by banks, credit unions and other private lenders, not by the government.

private student loans do not have the advantages of fixed rates or flexible repayment options that federal student loans do, but private loans are generally available throughout the year, until they qualify for a loan. However, in view of their often expensive and risky conditions, private loans should be used only as a last resort, when the savings, scholarships, and federal college loans are not enough to cover their college expenses.

5) Cut College Costs

Reducing the costs of attending college will also reduce the need for financial aid and college loans. To save thousands of dollars on a college account, consider attending a community college two years before transferring to four years the institutions to complete the degree.

Your diploma will still be called a four-year schools have finished, but you have to save two years worth of tuition and more naknade.Prosječni annual cost of a two-year public college is about $ 2,700, to significant savings $ 7,600 in state rate of a four-year public institutions, not to mention over $ 12,000 out-of-state rates.

If you are spending two years at community college does not appeal to you, but you still want to reduce the potential needs of school loans, you can compromise for taking at least some basic classes and the required research courses povoljnozajednici college and then transfer those credits to four years institutions. If you are considering this approach, make sure you work closely with academic advisors in both schools to ensure that all loans to make money as a commuter student at a community college will apply to their primary four-year study.