Tag Archives: college
How to Choose the Right College Credit Card for You
Credit cards are a huge industry. Everybody who can get one or two or 10, uses them because they are a great convenience. But there are so many credit cards being offered to students these days that it might seem nearly impossible to choose the right college credit card for you. But it is very important to investigate and to choose carefully to make sure you end up with the best deal you can find.
It’s also important not to go overboard and get a half dozen cards or more. It is very easy to get yourself into serious financial trouble before you realize it. It is so easy to use the cards when you want something – but then the bills start coming and getting bigger and bigger.
The interest rate that a college credit card charges is a critical factor in your considerations. Let’s face it, when you make a purchase on a college credit card you are actually borrowing money from the credit card issuer. They will want it back – with interest. So you must pay a monthly interest rate on this loan unless you pay your balance off in full every month.
Naturally, the best option is to pay off the credit card every month, but sometimes that just isn’t going to happen, so you want to get a college credit card with the lowest annual percentage rate and the longest 0% interest introductory period. The majority of college credit cards will be very similar in these two regards so the next point to consider is what kind of rewards you receive for using the credit card.
For many students, college credit cards are the first ‘real’ credit cards that they have gotten and they may not know what types of reward would be the best to look for. Generally, the three main reward types that will be most valuable for students are:
* Cash Back
* Frequent flyer miles
* Free gas
Cash back on a college credit card is actually a kind of points system. As you spend money these points accumulate on your college credit card account. Then they can be exchanged for cash, gift certificates or special discounts at popular outlets and stores. While the amount of ‘cash back’ that you get as a college credit card reward might seem small, remember that every little bit helps and you will soon be racking it up.
If you have cash available to pay for items like books and other necessities, you can use your card instead and then pay off the bill as soon as it comes. This does two important things for you. First, it helps build your credit history in a very positive way. Second, it accelerates your rewards. BUT, you must pay it off, don’t spend that cash on something else and end up paying interest. You have to keep your finances under strict control.
Frequent flyer miles could be the best rewards to have with a college credit card if you attend a college a long distance from your home. As you use your college credit card you accumulate frequent flyer miles that you can later exchange for flights back home – or wherever you want to go. Unlike the airline reward schemes, normally credit card frequent flyer miles can be used on any participating airline, worldwide.
Free gas when you use your college credit card could be your best option if you have your own car. Gas prices keep getting higher and some college credit cards offer rewards that can help with the rising costs of operating a car by providing rebates for gas station purchases. These free gas college credit cards may also offer discounts and points towards other motoring related items so it can be well worth your time to compare the different programs available.
With careful research, a little good sense, and careful attention to your finances, your college credit card can definitely help make your college years easier and give you a great head start on an excellent credit rating.
Student Loan Debt Spirals at For-Profit Colleges (Page 1 of 2)
Despite the publicity in recent years surrounding an ostensible “student loan crisis” that has saddled a generation of college students and their parents with overwhelming amounts of student loan debt, a large number of college students are actually graduating with little or no debt from student loans, newly released data has revealed.
However, the likelihood that a college student will take on any student loan debt depends largely on the type of school he or she attends, with students at for-profit career schools, online schools, vocational training programs, and other for-profit institutions tending to rely on student loans in much higher proportions.
Many College Students Eschewing Student Loans
About one in three college graduates leaves school without any debt from student loans, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Education as part of its National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, which is conducted every four years.
Of those students who earned a bachelors degree in the 200708 academic year, 34 percent graduated with no debt from student loans a figure that has held steady over the past four years. Of those students who earned either a two-year or four-year degree or certificate, 41 percent graduated with no student loan debt.
The For-Profit Exception: Student Loan Debt Saturates Career Schools
A breakdown of the NPSAS student loan debt data, however, reveals that student loan borrowing diverges widely across types of higher education institutions, with students at for-profit colleges borrowing money for their education more often and in larger amounts.
Virtually all for-profit students are graduating with at least some debt from college loans.
Among graduates of two-year associate degree programs, for example, whereas only 38 percent of those in public programs left school with at least one education loan, 98 percent of those in for-profit programs did so.
Among graduates of two-year certificate programs, only 30 percent of students in public programs left school with education debt, while 90 percent of students in the for-profit programs did so.
Of those students who earned bachelors degrees, 62 percent of those in public four-year programs and 72 percent of those in private four-year programs graduated with debt from student loans, while 96 percent of students in for-profit bachelors programs did.
More Private Student Loans Seen at Career Schools
Students in for-profit programs were also more likely than their private and public counterparts to leave school with debt from non-federal private student loans.
Overall, 30 percent of students earning a higher education degree in 200708 had taken out private student loans. But the percentages were much higher among students of for-profit schools.
Among graduates of associate degree programs, 60 percent of those in for-profit programs had taken on debt from private student loans, compared to just 15 percent of those in public two-year programs.