June Newsletter 2014: Rising Student Loan Rates, The Western Undergraduate Exchange & More
It’s June!
Warm afternoons, days spent with your toes in the sand at the beach, tossing aside winter and spring attire for jean shorts and tank tops… Yes, summer is here!
Congratulations if you have a soon to be college freshmen. This summer will be a critical time to create your detailed college funding plan for the next four years. For many families, this will include some loans. The Bad News is that on July 1st, interest rates on federal student loans are set to rise. The Stafford loans will climb to 4.66% from 3.86 % and the PLUS loans will climb to 7.21% from 6.41%. Our Featured Find lays out the details for each loan as well as other factors to consider when taking out any loans in the near future.
If you are hoping to avoid some future loans for your younger students, this month’s Senior Scoop (also a great scoop for Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen) highlights an extremely helpful program for students considering one of 154 qualifying colleges residing in the western United States: the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) Scholarship. Eligible students may receive tuition reductions of up to $13,000 per year. Check out the article for details and guidelines of the WUE program. Keep these WUE colleges in mind as you plan summer college visits… It’s a can’t-miss opportunity!
Do you wonder about standardized tests — whether it’s the SAT, ACT or PSAT — and their value? Listen in to College Smart Radio on Saturday, June 7th when I discuss the importance of standardized testing with Shawn O’Connor, Founder and President of StratusPrep.
Summer is the perfect time to set the early stages of their college financial plan in motion. Reserve a seat at a workshop or webinar or give me a call when you are ready to take your next step on the path to creating a clear college funding plan.
Beatrice Schultz, CFP®
Westface College Planning
College Funding Specialist
650-587-1559
College Smart Radio: Tackling the Runaway Costs of College
If your student is weighing the pros and cons of online education, listen in to another informative College Smart Radio podcast with guest Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of Trident University International. We compared the qualities of online versus brick-and-mortar education to aid your student’s decision about what’s right for them: 100% online, in-class or hybrid learning.
Featured Find: What to Know about Rising Student Loan Rates
“Interest rates on federal student loans are set to rise July 1. It’s not the first time the cost of borrowing has gone up for students, and it likely won’t be the last. Still, experts say, federal loans remain a good deal.
What to expect. First, the rate increase impacts only loans disbursed on or after July 1 of this year. Loans taken before then will not be affected.
For new loans, the rate on undergraduate Stafford loans will climb to a fixed 4.66 percent from 3.86 percent.
On Stafford loans for graduate students, the rate will jump to a fixed 6.21 percent from 5.41 percent.
PLUS loans, which either parents or graduate students can borrow, will rise to a fixed 7.21 percent from 6.41 percent.”
Upcoming “Tackling the Runaway Costs of College” Webinars
Our next upcoming workshops are:
- Tackling the Runaway Costs of College – Webinar:
Monday, June 16th 2014, from 7pm to 8pm
Senior Scoop – An Inside Look at the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): Go to College in the West for Less!
Seniors: If you’re looking for a way to obtain more financial aid at a college on the western side of the United States, the Western Undergraduate Exchange may be the way to go …
“I can afford to study out-of-state? You’ve got to be kidding!”
Students — and their parents who are bankrolling their kids’ education — are often amazed to learn that they can afford an undergraduate education outside of their home state, thanks to a program called “WUE” that’s been around for a quarter of a century. Some say it’s like winning the lottery!
More than 25 years ago, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), a nonprofit higher education policy organization, forged an agreement with its 15 western member states called the “Western Undergraduate Exchange”, or “WUE“.
WUE is a multi-lateral regional tuition reciprocity agreement whereby a resident of one WICHE member state can go to college at a participating public institution in another WICHE state, and pay 1.5 times the resident tuition of the enrolling institution. WICHE member states are: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, ND, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Continue reading Senior Scoop here.
Advice & Insight
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Are you following Westface College Planning online? If not, here are just a few things you missed:
We share a poll on our Facebook page that argues the long-standing value of an Ivy League school in terms of future happiness.
If you choose to skip college, you may end up losing out on $800,000 of income. Find out the details on my LinkedIn Page.
Are student loans necessary? Our Twitter page shows how you could walk away debt-free from college.
Our Google+ page links to a Time article that presents facts suggesting colleges are tailored for “rich kids”.
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If you are a typical parent with college bound students, you’re probably overwhelmed by all the research necessary to help your sons and daughters make the right choices and prevent overpaying for their education.
You are not alone!
Get the facts. Educate yourself to potentially save tens of thousands of dollars on a single college education. Parents of more than one child heading to college in the next few years, can save even more.
At Westface College Planning we work with families to help you plan for and navigate the “paying for college” process. We teach you how to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses, maximize financial aid eligibility, understand the best way to navigate through the college selection process and prioritize your sources of college funds to protect your life savings!
Sign up for a free workshop or webinar or call to schedule a complimentary college funding consultation today.
More information at westfacecollegeplanning.com.
Ready for your own success story?
If you’re a typical parent with college-bound students, you’re probably overwhelmed. You want to help your sons and daughters make the right choices and prevent overpaying for their education. You’re not alone! We’re here to help. Schedule your free consultation today – click below to get started!
Catch our free, on-demand webinar:
How to Survive Paying for College
Join Beatrice Schultz, CFP® for our on-demand webinar, where she provides parents with the exact steps that often greatly lower the cost of college, even if there’s little time to prepare.