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 The art of living cheaply Brendan Dillon, a senior at the Massachusetts College of Art, scanned the aisle for price lists this month at the Huntington Avenue Stop & Shop. A growing number of college students embrace cheapness like it's a sport. (Globe Staff Photo / Dina Rudick)  She earned three degrees in 9 years, and is debt-free Jodi DiGregorio said she was able to "take a job that paid less but was more satisfying" because she earned her degrees without loans. (Globe Staff Photo / Pat Greenhouse)  Out of college, paying off what is owed can take its toll Jennifer Guerin owes about $70,000 in loans. "Presumably, I could have kids out of college and I'll still be paying it off," she said. (Globe Photo / Robert Spencer) |
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Needy students miss outDaniel Biehl had been accepted by three colleges, including Northeastern University, when a letter arrived from Northeastern sweetening the offer: The school would take $10,000 a year off its $35,668 sticker price.
By next weekend, more than a million high school seniors will have made their final decisions about where to attend college.
The Melchiorris of Natick thought the SAT was the toughest part of getting into college until the family had to deal with FAFSAs, Pell grants, and subsidized loans.
WASHINGTON -- For needy college-bound students, federal grants are covering a shrinking share of soaring tuition and fees.
With the price of college rising faster than the average family income, parents are forced to save more for their children's college tuition, and to start thinking about it earlier.
Tuition is such a big part of family financial planning that college-savings advice has become a cottage industry. Here are some websites and books that cover the subject well:
Hosting extravagant dinner parties at plush locales, so-called financial aid consultants try to persuade parents to spend hundreds for advice on financial aid, loans, and scholarships.
The admission letters are in, stacked next to the financial aid offers. And the school that tops your "Want to go to" list is at the bottom of your "Can afford" list.
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