Financial Aid For College Students Grants

Writen by Max Stein

The bad news about attending college is that it costs more than ever to attend. The College Board estimates the average four-year public college costs almost $5,000 per year to attend and a two-year public college is almost $2000. And that's not counting the skyrocketing cost of textbooks or other class fees. The good news is there is more than $105 billion dollars available in student financial aid. Some of this money is available for free…in the form of college grants.

While there are many options to consider financing your college education, this article will discuss specifically grants for college.

The most common form of Federal grant money is the Pell Grant. The amount awarded is based on your financial need and it is for undergraduate study only. Pell Grants can be awarded to part-time students. The maximum amount of a Pell Grant is $3000 per year and it can be combined with other grants or financial aid.

Another common federal grant is the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant or SEOG. Like the Pell Grant, the SEOG is awarded based on financial need and is for undergraduate study. This grant can be combined with other school grants or financial aid, but the cap is $1000 per year.

Colleges and Universities often provide their own grants for students. The amount of the school grant varies, but they do take into consideration a number of factors in issuing these types of grants including: financial need, grades, merit or program of study. Please check with the college you've been accepted to for more information.

To be considered for any of these types of grants for college, you must complete a financial aid form known as the FAFSA. Your college will help you with this process and you can get information online. There are time deadlines in completing this application, so be sure to take that into consideration when planning your education.

Even though college costs are trending upward, there are many financial aid options for students. College grants are one of the best options since they don't need to be repaid, however, not everyone qualifies for them. Complete a FAFSA application to determine whether you can qualify for a college grant.

www.top-colleges.com

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

About The Author

Max Stein is a freelance writer who writes about business, education and marketing. Contact him at maxstein_9@hotmail.com

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Points To Ponder Before Applying For A Car Loan

Writen by Robert Parker

Have you got an eye on the new Vantage? Or do you want that sparkling new Jaguar parked in your driveway? Guess what all this is no longer a dream! You can drive your favourite set of wheels by availing car loans.

Getting car loans is not a daunting task any more, but your goal should be to get the best rates on car loans. Here are a few tips to help you attain low rate car loans:

Improve your credit score: Before you go out hunting for car loans, your first priority should be to find out your credit score. A good credit history will help you negotiate for a better deal on car loans. Conversely, you may have to bear the burden of high interest car loans. So make sure you pay your instalments regularly especially for a few months prior to availing car loans.

Do your homework: Remember that the car loans market is very competitive and you being the buyer have innumerable choices in car loans. So you don't have to agree to the first offer that comes your way. Shop around for good deals in car loans in terms of interest rates, repayment terms and other fees. Internet is considered a viable medium to do all such shopping for car loans. By applying online you receive several quotes for car loans from several lenders, thus giving you more freedom to negotiate.

Weigh your options: When shopping for car loans keep in mind that smaller the amount you borrow, lesser is the interest rate. So if you offer a good amount as down payment, it will prove favourable to you in the long run. Also, give due consideration to the different car loans options available to you. If trading-in your car is cheaper than negotiating with a car dealer, then go for it.

If your reason for buying an automobile is to just get you from A to B, then why not go in for used car loans. This is especially helpful as unlike home that grows in equity, the value of a car always deprecates with passing time. There are a lot of lenders who will give you affordable deals on used car loans.

What most people are unaware of is that you can even refinance your car loans. Like remortgaging, you can also trade-in your current car loans for new ones in favour of low interest rates or longer payment period.

Shopping and negotiating will ensure that you get the best deal in car loans.

About the Author: The author is a business writer specializing in finance and credit products and has written authoritative articles on the finance industry. He has done his masters in Business Administration and is currently assisting Ecar-Loans as a finance specialist.

Where To Find The Best Debt Consolidation Loans

Writen by John Mussi

Many people have reoccurring and unexpected debt. Debt can come from credit cards, small loans, medical bills and other debt areas. The best debt consolidation loans are great for people who cannot afford to pay reoccurring and unexpected debt. Consolidation loans are given to combine many smaller debts into one larger debt. By doing this, the loan may be larger, but it's spread out over a longer period of time. With consolidation loans, interest rates may be lower, your smaller debts can be paid and debt collectors will no longer be calling.

The best debt consolidation loans can be found by searching online by typing, "Debt consolidation loans" in your Internet browser. Your search will list numerous debt consolidation lenders as well as their websites. When visiting each of the lenders websites, they should list phone numbers, faxes and e-mails if you should have any questions to be answered. Consolidation loans can also be found on advertisements on the television or even in your local phone book. When searching for the best debt consolidation loans, make sure to research each individual lender to compare what they offer. Don't limit yourself to the very first one you find. Search many different lenders and compare each individual offer. This can easily save you money down the stretch, making for a much more pleasant borrowing experience.

Securing The Best Debt Consolidation Loans

Most of the consolidation lenders require the loan to be secured with collateral valuable enough to cover the loan if you become unable to pay. Depending on the amount of the funds you want to borrow, an automobile or a house may be considered to be of such value. For consolidation loans to cover smaller bills, you may only want to borrow a smaller amount. At that time, the automobile could be used for value. You can also borrow up to 125% of the equity in your home to consolidate your debts. When using your homes equity, the loan can be larger and the payments can be spread out for 5 to 25 years depending on the amount borrowed. The best debt consolidation loans are made to help people lower their debt and to help from filing bankruptcy.

One consideration to be made before you apply for the best debt consolidations loans are the repayment plans. Before applying, make sure your income will be sufficient to cover each monthly payment. If you borrow against your home, remember that the loan could be up to 30 years. Which means you will have to prepare for the next 30 years with the same payment. Extensive planning will help you find out which loan will be right for you. Once you receive the quotes for a debt consolidation loan, compare their rates and any hidden fees. By doing good research, you should be able to find the best consolidation loans that fit your needs. Once you have found the right loan, make sure to bring along a copy of your quote for reference and to make sure you get the deal as promised.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of UK Debt Consolidation Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the www.uk-debt-consolidation-loans.com website.

Personal Loans Increase But At What Cost

Writen by Michael Challiner

At one time, borrowing money from the bank would have involved getting out the best suit and grovelling to the manager.

These days, banks ring customers at home and ask them if they want to take out a loan. In fact, they almost give you hard time if you're not borrowing.

Just as it's never been easier it's also never been quicker. You can pick up the phone and arrange to borrow money as quickly as you could book a table at a restaurant.

About two-thirds of the way up, somewhere between a credit card and a mortgage, is the personal loan.

A credit card these days means being able to buy that must have dress or CD before pay day, but more expensive single expenses, such as buying a car, paying for a wedding or doing up a house, it's the personal loan that has taken over.

While credit card borrowing fell by £300 million in mid 2006, net lending on personal loans and overdrafts rose by almost three times the amount seen in June, the latest statistics from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) show.

New credit card borrowing reached a four-year low reaching £7 billion, while personal loans and overdrafts grew in popularity, up to a net lending of £655 million.

Director of statistics at BBA, said that despite the decline in mortgage lending, other means of borrowing of becoming more popular and convenient.

"Unsecured lending is displaying quite a different trend, with the growth rate continuing to decline, largely reflecting the ongoing contraction in credit card borrowing," the director said.

In April, Moneyfacts said that while credit card transfers can offer cheaper rates than personal loans, people lacking discipline with their repayments could benefit from the structure a personal loan provides.

However, new research from uSwitch seems to indicate that the less you borrow on a personal loan in the UK, the more likely you are to be paying interest rates that are higher than the lender's advertised Annual Percentage Rate (APR).

The major lenders all apply penalties when borrowers look to repay early. Paying the loan early will automatically trigger a charge of £175. But the charges don't end there. Complicated small print explains that borrowers are tied into the loan for eight years.

Loans can run for as long as 25 years given the amounts involved. But if you want to repay your loan within three years you will have to pay six months' worth of interest on the outstanding amount.

Given that some customers are paying as much as three to four times the going market rate for loans of higher amounts it is estimated that more than half a million Brits who took out banks loans of less than £5,000 in the last year are paying too much.

There may now be a very valid and justified complainant that they're being unfairly hit by this policy of applying different interest rates depending on how much is being borrowed. Nonetheless, UK loans do still remain one of the cheapest possible ways for Brits to borrow large sums of money (over £5,000) and so the costs of funding for small loans (under £5,000) by UK banks should be viewed with caution.

Shop around for the cheapest personal loan possible is also the advice of the head of personal finance at uSwitch, who notes that interest rates do remain highly uncompetitive on small loan amounts in the UK.

This would appear to be the case regardless of whether or not the personal loan is secured or unsecured as UK lenders still apply a tier based system to the interest rates they charge. Alternative borrowing, such as a 0 per cent credit card, should also now be included in any alternatives you are looking at if you are considering taking out a small loan in the UK with a very limited repayment period.

Alternatively, it may just be the times for Brits to start thinking of borrowing larger sums of money just to help reduce the cost of the borrowing.

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