How to Pay for College | Crash Course | How to College

Paying for college is stressful and there's a lot of research we need to do. So we want to be methodical and patient, and make sure we know what all of our options are. So, in this episode, Erica walks us through how to know our options, what steps to take to get the funding you need to be successful in college.

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Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
0:36 - Understanding costs
2:37 - Finding financial aid
8:41 - Different types of schools
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[samuelotto]

The thing which saved me ten of thousands of dollars for college were CLEP and Dantes (DSST) tests. Cost roughly $100 a test and if you pass the test you get three college credits. These are accepted at thousands of colleges across the nation and offered in dozens of different subjects and areas. Great way to knock out your general education requirements. Shocked more people don't take advantage of these.

[pand]

You didn't mention why people struggle to fill out FAFSA. Students don't magically have access to all the information it requires. Really sucks when you're dependent on other people to share information with you in order to qualify.

[trejkaz]

The loan system in the US sounds so shady. In Australia, we only start paying back the loan as part of the tax taken out of our income, so it never exceeds some small percentage of the money you earn. Get a good job, it will pay itself off even faster. Get no job, you never get penalised for not paying it back.

[OliviaAndreoli]

Don't forget about National Merit, AKA the automatic full ride! This is how I got a scholarship that pays full tuition for my bachelor's AND master's degrees, my housing, my meal plan, helps with textbooks, and is even paying for me to study abroad!!!
This is one thing I've never seen mentioned on a college scholarships video; if you attend a public high school (if you don't, talk to your guidance counselor) in the United States, you will take a test called the PSAT/NMSQT in the Fall of your Junior year. Your school might tell you that it's just to prepare for the SAT, but don't be fooled, it could easily be the most important test of your life. Every year, the top 1% of scorers on that test, about 16, 000 students every year, are named National Merit Semifinalists. From there, most will become finalists (don't worry about the exact term, that'll take care of itself). Once you are a finalist, you will have an automatic full-ride offer from over 25 well-known schools, and other massive scholarship offers from dozens and dozens more. While 1% may seem rare, most of the students who get this designation don't realize that they have full-ride offers. So, if you're a high-achieving student and a good test-taker, study study study for your PSAT! You could win the college scholarship lottery!!!

[barrankobama]

Easiest hack: Learn French, Italian, Spanish or German during high school and then attend University in France, Italy, Spain or Germany paying minimal fees (<$2000 per year).

[old-moose]

Don't forget that some trades/2 year programs not only lead to credits that transfer into 4 programs but also can lead to certifications that can result in higher paying part-time jobs. I did that. My niece got a med tech license before going into nursing and my son got an accounting certification before going into business. Both graduated debt free and, thanks to experience, with a job.

[sarahjohnston]

as a Canadian going to school in Canada I watched this out of pure curiosity and uhhhh Americans are y’all ok?? this seems incredibly complicated and so expensive

[RealDaveWinter]

Wow, US College is a total scam.
I'm in a 2 year AME program. I pay $1800 tuition and $3500 for residence. Zero internet fees, zero building maintenance fees, zero health care fees, zero every other fee you can think of save for what I spend for the food I eat and the gas I buy. And I have companies lined up outside the campus handing out leaflets to students 18 months before they graduate. 100% of my graduating class had job offers in the aviation industry 8 months prior to graduation.

If you're not getting that in the USA, you need to move to another country.

[zimmiel]

FASFA is still ridiculous to me. Unless you’re married, have a child, or some other specific circumstance; you are under you’re parents for FASFA until you’re 24 (even if you live on your own and are an independent, have your own job etc). A lot of students don’t see the unrealistic EFC they decide, but are still written off as not having much need. If your EFC is unreflective, talk to the financial aid advisor at your school; often then will try and help you out. I received left over grant money the state gave, since they have more leniency to who they can give it to- after they cover those with low EFC.

… I still don’t understand why FASFA changed from 1992 when if you were self-sufficient for 2 years you were considered independent 😒 Hopefully the upcoming Fasfa changes will be more beneficial though.

[AndNowIJustSitInSilence]

as long as enough people are paying those horrendous costs, the system will not change. You can easily see that (almost) free education works in Europe.

[mbletz]

-Use the FREE career services in the university to learn exactly who you can work for with your degree
-Look into scholarships at your high school too, and even some related to your town/city. The "unique marginal group" type of scholarships are everywhere, especially ones related to women in engineering.
-Get internships that are related to your field in the summers between semesters. If your college is good, they would have a "co-op" program, where the university partners with companies to help send its students there multiple semesters in a row. You graduate with work experience, and you literally pay for your tuition while you're in school.

[ds]

in France the cost of university is near to 300€..
Whish a lot of strength for American students, guys they are literally thieving yu

[TheSnickers]

I hope you’ll continue with and episode about grad school! I’m a junior and no one close to me has ever gone beyond undergrad but I might be interested in pursuing that path. It would be SO helpful

[__________________-________-]

How is anyone supposed to pay for 300k college

[faithharris]

Honestly, biggest problem with scholarships is that I fall into what I call 'the middle zone'. I don't qualify for need based ones since my parents make too much (even tho my efc is non-existent) and I don't stand out on academic and essay based ones just because I got a B once. Plus, I am white, not the first to go to college in my family, am not associated with the military, and not disabled, so it takes out those scholarships.

[jelliefish]

im about to move to europe this is too much

[zacscalafini]

Is there going to be an episode on student housing options? ( types of dorms, fraternities and sororities, etc?) as well as all the “living” that occurs outside the classroom( what if I get hurt or sick and need medical attention? Meal plans?)

[spamspam]

If you live in Florida, BRIGHT FUTURES!!! I cannot stress this enough. Sure it might take more work to get the right test scores etc. but you can get 100% tuition payed for public universities with no loans, plus it’s not need based

[bestLetsplayer]

What an insane and inhumane system. Regards from Germany.

[carartfun]

im a sophmore in college. And rn, i owe them 1.4K since freshman year. I have to pay $365 twice a month. It helps that I go to a Community College and Fafsa helped pay $7K, i still owe em 1.4K. I have a job that pays me $20/hr but is 3 hours for 4 days and monthly pay. The school im in dropped me out of the classes I registered for, but now Im scared that I cant go to school unless all 1.4K is paid. Rn the financial aid office is close atm i am writing this.