Main content
Personal finance
Course: Personal finance > Unit 9
Lesson 1: Introduction: Paying for college- Sal Khan's story: Paying for college
- Overview: Paying for college
- Best strategies for funding college
- 4 Most Important Considerations in Analyzing College Costs
- What to do when parents are divorced, and in situations with step-parents, foster care, etc.
- How do I know if I qualify for need-based aid?
- Cost of in-state vs out-of-state tuition
- Watch out for scholarship displacement!!
- A message to parents on paying for college
- Timeline: Paying for college
© 2023 Khan AcademyTerms of usePrivacy PolicyCookie Notice
Overview: Paying for college
Want to join the conversation?
At 39, by filing the FAFSA you can possibly be eligible for federal and state scholarships or grants. If you plan to attend an out of state college can you still possibly be eligible for a grant?(6 votes)
What kind of scholarships international students are entitled to? I'm from India and want to join MIT for engineering.(5 votes)
Mit is a need blind school for all students including international students and as per stats they also meet the demonstrated 100% financial need by a student. If you want to join MIT so, first make your profile of that level so that they takes you and apply in Early Action along with the CSS form. If you gets in MIT they will give 100% demonstrated need for your education in USA.(6 votes)
What is the best option for international students?(6 votes)- Should I be writing up FAFSA and applying for financial aid, even though I'm an international student? Since I'm not an American citizen, am I deprived of filling FAFSA , & financial aid? Is my only option scholarships then?(2 votes)
Even though you won't qualify for any federal or state aid, you should probably still fill out the FAFSA. Many colleges calculate how much money they'll give you as a grant (even if you're an international student!) based on your FAFSA results. You can also get scholarships through your college or on your own, and you could see if your home country could give you any financial aid, too.
When you're applying to colleges, make sure to check what forms they require for international students applying for financial aid.(5 votes)
so how long do you have to do work study job(2 votes)
It is up to the school how long they employ you. It is part of your financial aid package.
How much you decide to work (in a week), I believe, is up to you. There will probably be a maximum threshold you can work though since the college only has so much work study they can give out.(3 votes)
Quick question here, I am thinking on joining the Navy to be able to go to college through an ROTC program. While I realize many people have different opinions on this, I would appreciate it if someone could give me their thoughts on joining the military as a way to pay for school. Thank you!(3 votes)
what are the scope for non-scholar students in USA education system who are financially not strong ?(2 votes)
I would start by talking to a guidance counselor about your options. There may be a community college or state school in your area that will provide you with a good education and skills to get a job at a reasonable price. Depending on your grades and scores, along with the rest of your application, you may even be able to get merit aid at these schools. And keep in mind that this is just the first step in your college education--attending a four year school or grad school may not be out of reach if you work hard and keep your options open. Good luck!(3 votes)
how can i find a job? what is best option to work if attending college?(2 votes)
Starbucks is offering a tuition assistance program to all employees through Arizona State University Online. You might try googling that.
In general I personally had to weigh the cost / benefit of each job. Working as a custodian did little to further my career and required me to wake up at 6am each day after 4 hours of sleep during college. I did not stay in that job long.
Finding a job these days is said to be tough, but if you can identify the job you want, you can always see what skill sets they require and look for creative ways to gain those skills. That way when you apply to the job you can cite exactly how you acquired the needed skills. (and demonstrate)
Or why not follow the path of least resistance, even if the job is not the one you want if the pay is good and the hours flexible it may be a good option. Talk to people you know, often times a recommendation can be all that is needed to land the job.
Personally I disliked college work study. And unless you feel you can balance work and school be careful about working while attending school. I looked for jobs that allowed me to study my course work on the down time, had a flexible schedule, did not over tax or stress me out, and were good in pay.
If you require the job to be able to afford college then I recommend doing a 2 and 2 program where you get an Associates at a local community college first. Many fortune 500's have college tuition reimbursement programs if you can get a 3.0 GPA or better. ($2-5k/yr) If you can get into one of them after you get your associates then you can progress through you bachelors degree while strengthening your professional career. Not that any of these solutions will be easy at all.
Always seek to get a good grade in your college course work and NEVER be afraid to talk to a college counselor about withdrawing from a course or about what is available if you have to slow things down do to lack of funds or stress. If the advisor questions why you are there think VERY hard about if that college is really the right fit for you. With all of the options out there you want a college that supports you and your goals in life.(2 votes)
Would servant leadership help in any way?(2 votes)- what is the best way to pay for a cuny college that cost 6000 a year(1 vote)
Video transcript
- So, most students, when they're thinking about financial aid, the first thing they think about are those private scholarships
that are out there from foundations, other organizations that make money available to help students go to school, and those are great sources of funding, but they're typically not
the major source of funding for most students. Things like the Rotary Club Scholarship, the PTA Scholarship, the
National Merit Scholarship, all those make a big difference
for a lot of students, but they're usually small amounts. And where the real sources
of funding come from are through filing the FAFSA, and at many schools the profile
which makes you eligible for federal and state
grants and scholarships as well as institutional
scholarships and grants. So the rule of thumb is, the more expensive a school is, the more financial aid that school needs to make available to their students. So many students find that
their major source of funding is the institution that they're going to. By filling out the FAFSA and profile, then we provide that information to students in an award letter. - So a few of the things
that you might see in a financial aid letter are, first of all, the award. What is the financial aid
that you will be receiving? How much money is the
school going to give you to attend? This can come in a few different forms. So one of the ways that
a student may receive aid is through a scholarship. Obviously, a scholarship
may be merit-based, or need-based. If it's merit-based, there
may be a GPA requirement or a certain class load
that you need to maintain. If it's need-based, it may fluctuate if your family's financial
situation changes. - Another part of the typical
financial aid packages are loans and it's
important for you to be able to identify on your award letter exactly what money is in terms of loans as opposed to scholarships and grants. Loans are money that you
get the use of that money while you're in school,
but after you graduate, you're going to have to pay that back. So it's important to understand what the terms and
conditions are of those loans - There will also sometimes
be a student contribution or a work/study contribution that a student has to provide. That can be completed though any work on campus, through, kind of,
approved work/study jobs.