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For Further Information Contact:
Scott Anderson: 563-505-1560
scott@edulaunchpad.com

Meltdown at California Universities – Don’t Panic

California students do not need to panic over the developments of this past week.  Although the University of California Board of Regents on Thursday approved tuition hikes for this year of 32%, that is no reason for students to lose hope.

Here are five actions prospective college students can take to minimize the impact of this dramatic tuition increase:

1. Be flexible – Particularly for prospective students starting in 2010, you need to keep your options open.  Don’t focus on only one or two schools.  Applying to multiple colleges is the foundation for getting good financial offers from schools and minimizing your college costs.  Applying to multiple schools with generous financial track records can help even more.
2. Look outside California – California has some excellent schools, but there are thousands of other colleges around the country.  Some of those colleges may be looking for a student just like you and could offer you quite a bit of money to come there.
3. Don’t ignore private colleges – This may sound strange considering the sticker price of private colleges is higher than even the price hike the University of California system just implemented, but sticker price rarely is what students pay.  Private colleges often have much more money to go around per student than the public colleges do.  This means you can often go to a private college at a very competitive cost out of pocket.
4. File for financial aid – No matter what you think your financial situation is, you should always file for financial aid.  Financial aid programs are probably the most misunderstood aspect of college, and there could be many resources available that you don’t know about.  Get your FAFSA’s done as early as possible.  File your Cal Grant verification forms.  And make sure you get these done BEFORE the deadlines.  Programs like the University of California’s Blue & Gold Opportunity Plan have just been expanded and will likely apply to over half the families in California.  This could dramatically lower what many low to middle income students will pay for college.
5. Don’t ignore community colleges – Every student needs to have a safety college they apply to, and the community colleges are some of the best safeties out there.  Their lower overall costs in the first two years of college can go a long way to seeing students finish their degrees with as little debt as possible.

For more information on how to lower college costs contact Scott Anderson.  Mr. Anderson is founder of College Financial Strategies, RealCollegeSavings.com, and the soon to be launched eduLaunchpad.com.  He has authored several books and reports on college finances and is a sought after speaker on the subject.  Covered in the LA Times, Miami Herald, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and others; Mr. Anderson knows how to address the questions and concerns your audience and readers have.

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