Federal work-study isn’t often brought up when discussing paying for college, but it is an amazingly useful and convenient avenue for cash.

For recent graduates, repayment can be a touchy word while trying to juggle searching for a job and moving out of school, to put it lightly. It is totally common and expected to be at least a little nervous about the process, as you likely have not had a financial obligation like this before. Stafford loans [...]

If you do, there are planned changes going into effect as of July 1, 2010 that you should know about.

Graduating seniors, listen up! In order to walk with your class at Commencement, you will need to complete exit counseling for your federal student loans. Let’s go over the various repayment plans so that you are 100% prepared to make the right selection after your exit quiz. Direct Loan Program Repayment Plans If your school is a [...]

If you’re going to be a returning or new student as of July 2010, you’ll be happy to know that subsidized Stafford loan interest rates will be decreasing from 5.6% to 4.5% for the 2010-2011 academic year. If you aren’t familiar with subsidized Stafford loans, they are awarded based on financial need and a student’s expected [...]

Now that we’re getting close to May, financial aid award packages should be going out in the mail to continuing and new students in the next few weeks. We get a lot of questions in our financial aid forum relating to what the ceilings are per year for federal student loans, so let’s explore the [...]

If you feel nervous or confused about the student aid changes in the next few months, don’t worry at all. Take a deep, relaxing breath. Let’s walk through exactly what will happen from your perspective, so you know what to expect and what processes might be different going forward when you apply for a federal [...]

If you have heard any news about the overhaul being conducted on the student loan industry, you’re probably aware of the fact that the Family Family Education Loan Program (FFELP, for short) is being shut down as of June 31, 2010. This means that starting July 1, 2010, all new federal loan products will be [...]

Short and simple, the passing of this bill in Congress is a win for every student in America.

One question we often receive is how much a student can take out per year in federal Stafford loans. I’ve gone ahead and compiled all that information for you here. Note that these figures are the totals, including subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans. They must also obey the lifetime limit for federal loans: Dependent Undergraduate: $31,000 Independent Undergraduate: [...]