Go to College for $99 on FOX News

FOX 5 in Washington DC ran a segment about StraighterLine during their Money segment on Tuesday, 2/23 titled "College for less". Here is the video in case you missed it:



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College for $99 a Month

How to Beat the Hidden (and Very High) Costs of Applying to College

“Squeeze Play 2010: Continued Public Anxiety On Cost, Harsher Judgments On How Colleges Are Run,” a recent survey conducted by Public Agenda, reports that more Americans are worried about soaring college costs. Yet that survey never touched on the other college-related costs that can really mount up fast.

I am referring to the costs of applying to college. Let’s take a closer look at how they can really add up.

• $$$ for ACT and SAT test preparation – An SAT preparation class costs about $700. But if you opt for private tutoring for either the ACT of the SAT, get ready to pay $2,000, $3,000 or more.
  
  
• $$$ for the standardized tests themselves – It costs $41.50 to take the SAT (plus $21 if you register late). The ACT test costs $29.00, plus another $14.00 for the optional writing test (plus $19.00 if you register late). And bear in mind, it is not unusual today for kids to take the SAT two or even three times, then report their highest grades to colleges. The total typical expense? If you take the SAT twice and the ACT/writing test once, that will cost you $126. (You didn’t register late, did you? That will cost you even more.)
• $$$ for college applications – Colleges typically charge between $40 and $80 per application. Sounds reasonable, until you realize that many kids today apply to 10, or even 20 colleges. That’s why just the cost of applying is costing some families $1,000, $1,500 or more.
• $$$ for college visits – Granted, you can get admitted to some colleges without ever setting foot on campus. But the fact is, students who visit campuses, and who register their visits with the admissions offices, have a big statistical advantage in getting in. Total expense? It depends on how many colleges you visit, and where they are located. But many families are racking up expenses of $2,000, $3,000 or more.
• $$$ for private college counseling – Not every applicant hires a private college counselor. But many families do – especially if their children attend high schools where guidance counselors are overtaxed. Typical costs are in the range of $250 - $300 per hour of counseling. At that rate, the dollars add up fast.
  

All this puts wealthier students at a big advantage. They hire tutors. They take tests repeatedly to boost their scores. They hire private college counselors. They apply to lots of colleges to boost their chances of getting in.

Yet there is a way to simply start earning college credits – with none of the expenses outlined above. Straighterline offers a simplified way to open the classroom doors without emptying your pockets ahead of time.

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Applying to College? Big Brother Is Watching . . . Your Wallet!

An article entitled “Will You Get Enough Financial Aid?” in U.S. News just reported some troubling news for students who are applying to college.


Here’s a summary of what the article’s author, Kim Clark, has to report:

• Fewer students are getting financial assistance. “Fewer than 3 percent of all the colleges in the country promise that they will award enough financial aid to meet the full financial needs of admitted students in 2010,” Clark reports.
• Loans are replacing scholarships. Clark writes that “. . . the downturn in the economy has forced a growing number of even the wealthiest schools to increase the amount of loans they plan to ask needy students to take.”
• Colleges are looking at your home’s value. According to Clark, some institutions (including Yale and Occidental) may ask parents to dip into their home’s equity to pay tuition.
• Even parents’ marriages can be examined. Clark reports that some institutions, including Yale, are analyzing the incomes of both stepparents and original parents.
  

In this new age when a college education costs as much as an average house did only a few decades ago – somewhere on the north side of $200,000 - perhaps all this grim news is not too surprising.

Yet as the old expressions goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That’s why more students and their families are exploring alternative, cost-effective strategies for reducing over-the-top college costs.

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Sixty Percent of Americans Now See Colleges as Businesses that “Care Mainly about the Bottom Line”

Are colleges now charging more than the average American family is willing to pay?

“Squeeze Play 2010: Continued Public Anxiety On Cost, Harsher Judgments On How Colleges Are Run,” a recent survey of 1,031 adults conducted by Public Agenda, shows that Americans still believe in the value of a college education. But at the same time, more of them are growing anxious as tuition costs spiral out of control.

Let’s take a look at what the survey found.

First, the good news about American’s perception of a college education . . .

• 55% of Americans believe that “A college education is necessary for a person to be successful in today’s world.” Back in year 2000, the same survey found that only 31% of Americans believed that was true.
• 59% of Americans who have high school-age children say that it is “very likely” that those children will attend college.

And now, the bad news . . .

• 60% of Americans believe that colleges “are like most businesses and care mainly about the bottom line.”
• 65% of Americans believe that the cost of education is rising faster than the cost of other things.
• 65% of Americans believe that students have to borrow too much money to pay for their education.
• 69% of Americans believe that some qualified students are unable to attend college today.
• 64% of Americans believe that colleges should use Federal aid to hold down tuition costs. In contrast, only 25% of Americans believe that Federal funds should be used to maintain current programs.
  

In summary . . .

Americans still believe that their children should go to college. Yet they are becoming more skeptical about the value that traditional colleges present. This could be one reason why more and more Americans are turning to online learning to cut college costs.

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The Benefits of College Study while You Are in the Military

Years ago, military personnel wasted a lot of idle time playing cards or reading magazines in the barracks. Now that has all changed. More men and women in uniform are using their time to pursue college degrees online.

According to “Online Degrees Offer Soldiers More Opportunities,” a recent article by Natasha Bright in TRCB.com, more and more military personnel are discovering the efficiency of studying online. According to Bright, “Soldiers have always reported that one of the greatest challenges they face in serving is the rigorous schedules that they are forced to work on. For this reason, many soldiers have commonly felt that schooling was simply not a feasible option. More and more that is simply becoming untrue as colleges open up more flexible and unique education programs to allow students to earn their degree online.”

When you stop to think about it, it makes a lot of sense to take college courses online while you are still in uniform. Here are some key reasons . . .

• You can probably obtain financial assistance from the government. The Post-911 GI Bill is designed to help pay educational costs – even the cost of housing and textbooks – for soldiers, veterans, and reservists. To learn more, visit The Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Website or call 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551). According to some estimates, as many as 385,000 active military personnel and veterans are already taking advantage of this bill.
• You can take online courses anywhere. Are you in Afghanistan? Germany? Fort Dix? It doesn’t matter. And your coursework will not be interrupted if you are transferred.
• The classroom is open 24/7. That’s ideal for military personnel who work odd and off hours.
• The courses you take can make it easier for you transition into civilian life. “Wide reports suggest that soldiers who focus on their education and earn an advanced degree while in the service may have an easier time transitioning into civilian life after they leave the service,” Bright reports.
• A growing number of colleges are granting credit for online coursework. Straighterline, offers online college courses that are accepted at many U.S. colleges.
  

In summary . . .

Online study makes a lot of sense for military personnel and vets. Financial aid is available, and the number of online college course offerings is growing quickly. If you qualify, it’s an opportunity you shouldn’t ignore.

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