Those looking to save on a college education may want to try their luck in Germany. The country just committed to tuition-free higher education for all students, including international students.

Lower Saxony was the last of seven German states to abolish tuition after the country began charging for it in 2006. Germany has a firm commitment to universal education, so the German states began dropping their tuition fees one by one.

The minister for science and culture in Lower Saxony, Gabrielle Heinen-Kjajic said in a statement, “We got rid of tuition fees because we do not want higher education which depends on the wealth of the parents.”

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If your financial aid package for the upcoming school year seems off, you may want to have it checked. An error on the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA, made some applicants appear far better off financially than they actually are.

The error on the online form causes some low-income filers appear to be millionaires, which can have a dramatic impact on what, if any, federal financial aid they can receive.

Jeff Baker, policy liaison at the Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid told student-aid administrators at the Chronicle of Higher Education that the error has already impacted thousands of borrowers, and is likely to impact even more.

“It’s a serious problem,” Baker said at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ annual meeting. “We have to fix it.”

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It’s no secret, college is expensive. For many, that expense has simply gotten too high. College tuition has risen 80 percent in the last 10 years alone. This increase means that some people can’t go to college, or complete their degree, no matter how much they desire to. Starbucks has decided to do something about this problem, and announced the Starbucks College Plan earlier this week.

Starting in the fall, Starbucks will help many of their part- and full-time U.S. partners (employees) complete their college degrees. Through a partnership with Arizona State University (ASU), Starbucks will allow its partners to finish their bachelor’s degree with full tuition reimbursement.

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If President Obama‘s plan to raise minimum wage goes through, plenty of people will benefit. One group in particular may see a direct benefit, but they probably aren’t the first group of people thought of during minimum wage discussions.

College students who are part of the Federal Work-Study Program, which helps them pay for their education, would be directly impacted by an increase in minimum wage. The program itself could also see some changes as award packages would have to be altered to allow for what essentially amounts to multiple students receiving raises at once.

Students participating in a Work-Study program are required to be paid at least federal minimum wage. Currently, that means making at least $7.25 per hour. If the raise in minimum wage goes through, their pay would increase to at least $10.10 an hour. Some Work-Study participants already make more than that depending on their individual circumstances.

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Cancer is scary. It’s scary to think about, and even worse to experience. It also takes incredible strength to fight cancer or support someone you love who is. Two organizations are doing their best to provide hope and comfort to those individuals who have experienced or are currently experiencing the difficulties of cancer.

The Mesothelioma Group and the American Childhood Cancer Society are two of many organizations who hope that by providing support and information to families facing cancer, they can also offer some level of stability and normality to their lives. One way both organizations are doing this is by providing scholarship opportunities for families in need.

Paying for college is a hard enough prospect to face, even without the additional hardship of supporting a family member through cancer treatments or experiencing the illness yourself. By providing scholarship opportunities, these organizations make the possibility of college a little more of a reality. Each organization offers something a little different, so it’s just a matter of finding which opportunity works best for the individual.

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Day two of the shutdown, haven’t slept in weeks…

Nah, just kidding. Unless you work a government job or have a loved one that does, you’re probably not feeling the pain of the furlough just yet. But come Saturday, the shutdown will rear its ugly head in the most holiest of holies: the college football field. Saturdays in the fall are a magical time; early morning purging and energy drink chugging, mid-afternoon grilling and queasiness, and late night strolls back to what you think is your dorm. Unfortunately, the white wigs want to take that majestic ritual away from certain young scholars.

Due to the budget impasse in Congress, this Saturday’s Air Force at Navy and Army at Boston College football games are being cancelled.

The reason behind the decision is fairly simple. The Air Force and Military Academies are branches of the government and use government appropriated monies to fund their athletic departments. The Naval Academy’s football games are not in jeopardy because the team is funded by non-appropriated funds, i.e. ticket sales and merchandise.

So a couple of unranked and unheralded college teams aren’t gonna take to the gridiron for the foreseeable future, big whoop, right? The government shutdown “can’t hold you,” and “we can’t stop,” or whatever you kids say. Well, until Macklemore and Miley Cyrus volunteer to help the Department of Education field calls regarding your student-loan questions, you’re gonna have a hard time dealing with next semester’s tuition. Read the rest of this entry »

A private liberal arts school in rural Kentucky called Centre College has announced a $250 million donation from the Brockman Charitable Trust. Centre College has an enrollment of just over 1,000 students and the gift puts them in the top 20 worldwide for the all-time biggest charitable donations made to a university. While there’s nothing better than a quarter billion dollars to put your university on the map,—go Praying Colonels!— it’s only chump change compared to the charity that more well-known colleges receive. We’ve compiled a list of the five largest donations to American universities; how they came about, who gave them, and how they shaped the university.

5. Johns Hopkins University, $350 million from Michael R. Bloomberg

When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged $350 million to his alma mater earlier this year, his total lifelong donation to the university topped the $1 billion mark. His most recent donation will create cross-disciplinary programs and fund faculty appointments. The rest of the $35o million will help award 2,600 scholarships over the next 10 years.

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For many families today, the thought of paying for a college education can be quite daunting. Scholarships make a great way to fund this investment in a child’s future.

There are many different types of scholarships. Some are based on performance on standardized tests, some on financial need, and others on athletic ability. These scholarships all seem normal – and to be frank – well earned in one way or another. However, a new type of scholarship is hitting the market. Many schools have started offering scholarships to students who come from middle-income families and demonstrate academic promise.

“We certainly have found that with the recession in recent years, many middle-income families and even some higher-income families are looking for more aid,” said Earl Retif, vice president of enrollment management at Tulane University. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s pretty common knowledge that most college students can’t afford to go to school without taking some sort of financial aid these days. Some receive scholarships, some apply for federal financial aid, and some take out private loans from the government. However, the majority (62 percent) rely on loans from their parents, according to research from the University of Michigan‘s Patrick Wightman.

In his research, Wightman found that parents are helping their children earn a higher education to the tune of about $12,185 per student per year. This money goes toward everything from tuition to reoccurring expenses, such as rent and bills. This is a new trend concerning how students pay for their higher education and living expenses, probably caused by the fact that 25 percent of young adults between 18 and 34 years old are not making enough money at their jobs to cover basic living needs. Read the rest of this entry »

When most students start receiving information about the financial costs of a higher education, they are seniors in high school. Up until that point, many are simply told that college is expensive and they should start saving, but that’s about it. Now, a new tool has been designed to help families understand how much a higher education will cost, which allows families to then begin planning on how to pay for it.

This tool is called the Net Price Calculator (NPC) and was created to be in accordance with 2008’s Higher Education Opportunity Act. Under this act, every institute of higher education that allows students to use federal aid to pay for their education must have an NPC on their website so that students can calculate the price of attending that school. Students can put in their own personal data on this NPC and the calculator shows them the net price of attending that school (tuition, room, and board included). Read the rest of this entry »