"Don’t Sleepwalk Your Way into a Student Loan"
Webinar Video Recording and Resource Guide
View or download these resources
College Money Matters Webinar Resources
- Website: https://collegemoneymatters.org
- Mailing list and contact: https://collegemoneymatters.org/contact-us/
- To request a copy of the Powerpoint please contact Nancy Goodman’s direct email: ngoodman@collegemoneymatters.org
Suggested viewing (before or after the webinar):
- Video: 5 things to know about your college acceptance letters (3 minutes)
- Slideshow: FAFSA: What it is and how it works (3 minutes)
Understanding and comparing financial aid packages
- Calculator: Tool for comparing financial aid offers and costs of different colleges – from UAspire
- One-hour video: How to read financial aid packages – from UAspire (1 hour)
- Interactive: Estimating what you’ll owe in loans and what it takes to repay - From the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Worksheet and video: Your cost of attendance
Federal student loans - special topics
- Eligibility requirements (including unusual cases)
- Student expenses that can be paid for with Federal student loans
- Parent PLUS loans – Where to apply
Loan cost estimators & calculators
- Estimator: How much will your loan really cost you? –on collegemoneymatters.org
- Estimator: How your monthly payments affect how much you can borrow – on collegemoneymatters.org
- Estimator: How will a Parent PLUS Loan fit into your family budget? – on collegemoneymatters.org
- Calculator: BankRate student loan calculator – (Enter your specific information. We suggest you ignore the ads.)
Grant and loan legislation
News and statistics on student loans and debt
Colleges with current openings
Regularly updated listing of colleges with current openings for enrollment
Tell a Friend
College Loan Tracker
Legitimate expenses for student loans
Officially: anything your college puts in their cost of attending (so it can vary by college)
ALLOWABLE (typically approved) expenses
1 Tuition and required fees
2 Housing (rent, dorms, utilities)
3 Food (meal plans, groceries)
4 Books and school supplies
5 Technology (laptop, required software, internet)
6 Transportation (gas, public transit, parking)
7 Basic personal expenses (laundry, toiletries, phone)
8 Health insurance and medical costs
9 Childcare (if needed for school)
NOT ALLOWABLE (Not Approved) Expenses
1 Vacations or trips
2 Entertainment (concerts, streaming, etc.)
3 Luxury items or designer goods
4 Non-school electronics
5 Credit card payments
6 Investments (stocks, crypto)
7 Business expenses
8 Home purchases
9 Gambling
