Financing

Paying for community college can be overwhelming. Use the tools, resources and tips within this section to help you finance your education. From student loans to scholarships, we’ll cover the most common financial aid options available to community college students. Get money saving tips, learn more about Pell grants, and explore the federal work-study program.

View the most popular articles in Financing:

New Initiative Helping Low-Income Community College Students Succeed

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New Initiative Helping Low-Income Community College Students Succeed
We’ll report on the Benefits Access for College Completion Initiative, which will connect low-income community college students to much-needed public benefits for the purpose of improving college completion rates.

Education is one of the essential components to breaking the poverty cycle, according to studies. However, college completion rates for students from low-income households continue to be some of the most dismal rates nationwide. According to Spotlight on Poverty, just 34 percent of students from the lowest income bracket will even enroll in higher education. Of that number, only 11 percent will actually graduate with some sort of degree. Clearly, this is not the pathway to the American Dream that our country’s leaders have envisioned.

If college completion rates are critical to raising families out of poverty in the U.S., something must be done to ensure more students from poor families are able to finish their education. This is the goal of a new three-year initiative from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the American Association of Community Colleges, in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations, as well as the Ford, Lumina, Annie E. Casey and Kresge Foundations. The Foundation Center reports that the Benefits Access for College Completion initiative is up and ready to roll at seven community colleges across the country.

About the Benefits Access for College Completion Initiative

The Benefits Access for College Completion initiative is the latest coordination to improve college completion rates by targeting low-income students. According to the website for CLASP, this initiative is designed to point low-income students to the services that will provide the financial support they need to make

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Immigrants and Community College Tuition Costs: What?s Fair?

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Immigrants and Community College Tuition Costs: What?s Fair?
New developments in Arizona and Florida are forcing schools and lawmakers to examine the issue of tuition rates for students with parents who are in the U.S. illegally.

Arizona is fighting an immigration battle that has become more than a little murky in recent months. With undocumented immigrants now able to apply for deferred action to continue to work legally in the U.S., the question has naturally turned to the issue of in-state tuition. Recently, those immigrants were required to pay out-of-state tuition rates, even at the schools in the states where they lived and worked. However, the introduction of the deferred action program has some schools rethinking their tuition policies, and some actually changing the rules on what undocumented immigrants must pay to get a college education in the U.S.

This video explains DACA and what it is.

New Action Plan Overridden by Arizona Governor

In August, shortly after President Obama’s new deferred action program was introduced, the governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, made her own announcement. Governor Brewer signed an executive order for her state that mandated state agencies were not to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in Arizona, even if they received deferred action to work in the United States. The order also stated that these individuals were to be denied all public benefits by the state, according to a report at the Tucson Citizen.

“As the [DHS – Department of Homeland Security] has said repeatedly…these individuals do not have lawful status,” Matthew Benson, a spokesman for the governor’s office, told the Citizen. “They are able

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Which Community Colleges are the Most Affordable?

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Which Community Colleges are the Most Affordable?
Is your prospective college expensive or a bargain? We analyze a recent report from the U.S. Department of Education that outlines which community colleges are the most expensive and which are the most affordable.

With tuition rising at community colleges across the country, many prospective college students today are looking for the most affordable options in higher education. Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Education is ready to oblige the bargain hunters with a list of the most affordable community colleges in the U.S. Peruse the Department of Education’s list of deals to see if one of the schools is in your area.

The College of Affordability and Transparency Center

In an effort to bring affordability back to higher education, the Obama Administration has launched the College of Affordability and Transparency Center. This website offers a wealth of information about the cost of all types of higher education, with customized reports users can generate based on the information they wish to peruse. The center was created under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, according to U.S. News and World Report. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan explains that the availability of information like this is critical for helping students find the most affordable solutions in a college education today.

“We want to arm students and parents with the information they need to make smart educational choices,” Duncan told U.S. News and World Report. “Students need to know up front how much college will actually cost them instead of waiting to find out when the first student loan bill arrives. These lists are a major step forward in unraveling the mystery of higher education pricing.”

In addition to

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10 Tips for Making Community College More Affordable

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10 Tips for Making Community College More Affordable
As tuition rates at community colleges increase nationwide, we share options in financial aid and other tips to make the college experience more affordable, including what the government has proposed to keep community college affordable.

Community college has traditionally been seen as an affordable option to the four-year college or university, but rising tuition rates at community colleges across the country have made some prospective students fear that even these institutions are becoming too expensive. The good news is that there are many options for financing a college education, from work-study programs to Pell grants. Take a look at these 10 tips for making a community college degree a more affordable option once again.

Scholarships

Many students heading to community college do not realize that scholarships may be available. This type of financial aid is one of the most desirable because it does not have to be paid back once the degree is earned. Typically, scholarships are tied to specific skills or achievements, such as academics or sports. They are also available for particular areas of study, especially in fields in need of highly trained workers. Scholarships are also offered based on financial need, race or other factors attributed to the underserved student population.

According to FinAid, many free databases are available to direct students to specific scholarships for which they might qualify. In some cases, students complete a profile, and the directory will match the students to specific scholarships that complement their skill set or interests. Students are then notified which scholarships met their specifications so that they can pursue those opportunities.

Grants

Pell grants are equally attractive to scholarships because they do

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While Community Colleges Struggle, More Federal Subsidies Pour into For-Profits

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While Community Colleges Struggle, More Federal Subsidies Pour into For-Profits
What's happening to financial aid for students at community colleges? Students at for-profit colleges are now getting a bigger piece of the federal student aid pie.

The United States is facing a debt crisis of epic proportions, but it may not be in the area consumers would suspect. Huffington Post cites statistics from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that show student debt has now surpassed credit card debt in this country. It is no wonder that media is literally littered with reports of student debt defaults today. To make matters worse, the source of student debt is no longer community colleges and four-year public institutions. Instead, that debt is going directly to for-profit schools that charge students plenty in tuition rates but deliver little in return.

The numbers are concerning, considering that community colleges – the schools that President Obama has touted as the training grounds for our future workforce – are scrambling to try to make ends meet. As more people head to these public institutions in hopes of getting applicable training for recession-proof, lucrative careers, the schools are finding themselves without the necessary resources to teach everyone who wants to be educated. Services and programs have been cut, and waitlists for popular courses are becoming longer and longer. State and federal funding are slim at these schools today.

This video outlines financial aid for community college students.

For-Profits Enjoy Prosperity

This is not the case with for-profit colleges. Institutions like the University of Phoenix and ITT Technical Institute are

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Recent Articles

Taking the Honors Track at Community College vs. a Regular Four-Year College Path
Taking the Honors Track at Community College vs. a Regular Four-Year College Path
Valedictorians and honors students are increasingly choosing honors programs at community colleges instead of four-year institutions after graduating from high school. Learn about the trends and benefits of taking the honors track at a community college before transferring to a four-year institution.
How To Pay For A Community College Education
How To Pay For A Community College Education
We look in-depth at how you can pay for a community college education.
Spring 2023: Top 10 Job Fields
April 07, 2023
Spring 2023: Top 10 Job Fields
The job market is changing at warp speed. Find out which job fields are the most promising for community college graduates.

Financing

FINANCING BASICS
Build the foundation needed to navigate the community college financial aid system. Learn which schools are the most affordable, get money tips on reducing college costs, and explore the latest initiatives to make community colleges even more accessible.
How to Pay for Community College as a Single Parent
How to Pay for Community College as a Single Parent
Federal Work Study Programs: Pros and Cons
Federal Work Study Programs: Pros and Cons
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007
GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS
There's nothing better than free money, and these articles can help you get grants and scholarships for your community college education. Acquire information on Pell grants and why you should take advantage of them, learn how you can earn money through community college writing and get the latest news on scholarships and funding.
Community College Scholarships
Community College Scholarships
7 Savvy Scholarship Tips for Community College Students
7 Savvy Scholarship Tips for Community College Students
Why You Should Take Advantage of the Pell Grant
Why You Should Take Advantage of the Pell Grant