Most parents dream to usher their kids into a good college because this helps them have a very good start in life.
However, college tuition fees for studying in the United States are extremely high and the cost increases further if the child has to move to another place to study away from home.
We have put together some simple ideas and tips with popular ways to get money for a child’s college education.
1. Dip into savings
It is fairly common for parents to dip into their savings in order to finance their children’s college education. This often means a lifetime spent saving money and doing without a few luxuries and vacations unless you have a lot of money to start with. The task looks almost impossible if there is more than one child at home.
2. Encourage your child to contribute as well
Lots of kids do work when they are at college but these tend to be part time jobs that naturally don’t pay very well. The main drawback of this method is that your child might find it tough to manage the demands of work and studies. Don’t forget that he or she needs to have a social life as well!
3. Take out a student loan
Your child could choose from one of the many student loans that are available these days. Interest rates are fairly low these days, and this is a good way to avid depleting your savings. However, this can leave your child with a huge loan burden to pay off even before his career has begun. In fact, this loan can take many years to pay off.
4. Get a scholarship or grant
It’s absolutely fantastic if your child can get a scholarship because this will reduce the burden on either or both of you. There are many local and federal student funding schemes available and there are also religious and cultural ones. Its best to do a lot of research to find out which grants or scholarships apply to a specific instance, but it is hard to predict whether it will be awarded. Be aware of the fact that there is intense competition for them for obvious reasons.
5. Take out a long term savings plan just to finance your child’s education
It is best if you could start really early to build a college fund for your child and contribute to it systematically. In other words, put long term compound interest to work to send your kids to college. As a matter of fact, lots of parents start these savings plans for their kids while they are still babies. In addition, your kids could also contribute to it with their pocket money and earnings. These savings schemes are offered by state authorities or even colleges in order to enable parents to give their kids a good education without having to stretch too much.
Like most things in life, a little planning goes a long way when it comes to funding your college education. Take the time out to identify the best savings scheme so that you can get started with charting out your education plan. Another option you might want to consider is to study abroad, there are courses all around the world accepting international students.