Five Ways To Lower Your College Tuition in 2011

If one of your goals for the New Year is to find more money for college (whether you are a student or a parent), then the good news is that by following a few simple steps, one should be able to find financial aid that can assist them with college tuition at a college of their choice.

And so here are five ways that one can follow in order to find the college funds they need to graduate in a few years:

#1: Set realistic expectations when it comes to college funding with kids

If parents are able to tell their kids what they can afford when it comes to college funding, then the situation where the child picks a college only to find out that his parents cannot afford it doesn’t arise.

#2: Start saving right away

Every parent has to save at least a few dollars away for their kids’ college tuition no matter how late it is. Every dollar counts!

#3: File your FAFSA

Filling out this form is vital especially if you are applying for a Federal Parent PLUS Loan.

#4: Contact your financial aid office

If you think that the information you filled on the FAFSA form isn’t accurate enough or the financial aid package that you received does not reflect this, you can call your school’s financial aid officer.

#5: Get a tax break for your educational expenses

American families can now get tax breaks based on their expenditure for education, and it is wise to look out for these opportunities.