You've saved for your child's college education through the years, helped your child research schools, and supervised the application process. Now, thankfully, your child is in college. But you probably can't disappear just yet — there are still bills to pay. Maybe you underestimated exactly how much financial aid would cover. Or perhaps you knew all along that you'd have to use some of your own resources or take out more loans. In any case, you'll need to come up with some money soon. So where should you look?
It doesn’t take a degree in finance to see the cost of college continues to rise.
In its 2017 report, the College Board showed that public four-year institutions raised prices an average of 3.2% annually between the 2007-08 and 2017-18 school years. Put another way, a $5,000 education in 2007-08 would cost $6,851 in 2017-18.
For a few families, the lion’s share of education costs falls on parents and, in some cases, on grandparents. Generally the majority of families rely on a combination of scholarships, grants, financial aid, part-time jobs, and parent support to help pay the cost.
