Graduated in 2011? Check your repayment due date.

If you graduated in May or June of this year - 2011 - then your 6 month grace period is probably up this month (November) or next.  Perkins Loans have a 9 month grace period - mark your calendars now.  If you haven't heard from your lender or servicers - contact them.  If you aren't sure who your loan servicers are - look it up here at www.nslds.ed.gov  - the National Student Loan Data

2012 Talbots Scholarship Program

I shop at Talbots because I simply love their well made clothing.   They have a classic style, are durable and will be in your closet for years.   While I was on their website recently I came across their scholarship program.  So if you are female and are pursuing a college degree later in life - take a look.

You may qualify for the 2012 Talbots Scholarship Program, if you reside in the US or Canada and had a high school diploma or GED before September 2001 and are enrolled or plan to enroll in an accredited 2 or 4 year college or university either full-time or part-time, and will be attending for the full 2012-13 academic year.   You should be receiving your degree no earlier than May 2013 and you must have at least 2 semesters (24 or more credit hours) remaining to complete an undergraduate degree at the start of the 2012 fall academic term.  

Scholarship recipients will receive a $10,000 or $30,000 scholarship, a Talbots Gift Card, donated by Talbots and the Reinvention Resume Plus eKit, a step-by-step tool to develop resumes and cover letters.  You can't win if you don't apply so apply here.

Deadline - January 3, 2012.

Wondering what the limits are on your federal student loans?

So are you wondering whether you got the maximum amounts for grants and subsidized student loans in your financial aid package?   The numbers change depending on where you are in your college career, e.g. if you are in your first year of college (undergraduate) the maximum amount you can be awarded as a subsidized loan is $3,500.  The number stays the same whether you are considered a dependent or an independent student, but if you are in graduate school that number goes up to $8,500.  For undergraduate school, the amount increases by a $1000 a year through your third year and then remains constant (of course until the rules change) - so as a 3rd or 4th year student your max subsidized loans would $5,500.  For graduate school - the amount for all years is $8,500.  See a handy chart here.    The chart will also tell you the maximum federal debt you will be allowed to aggregate for your program, including unsubsidized loans, the numbers may be higher if you are in a health professional program.

For Grants the maximum annual award currently is:  Pell Grant - $5550; Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant - $100 - $4000; Iran and Afghanistan Service Grant - $5500; and the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant - allows up to a maximum of $4000 per year to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.

Have questions? let me know in comments.

Microsoft Digigirlz in Las Colinas, Texas

Ready to be counted in the female Tech population? 

Microsoft is offering its Digi Girlz High Tech Camp Aug.9-11 on its campus in Las Colinas, Texas. The free camp is for girls who are in grades 8 through 11 in the 2010-11 school year, and must be at least 13 at time of application. To read more about it visit www.microsoft.com/digigirlz   

 

Through the DigiGirlz High Tech Camp for girls, Microsoft is working to dispel stereotypes of the high-tech industry. They continue to look for opportunities to give young people a chance to experience, firsthand, what it is like to develop cutting-edge technology. 

 

To apply visit: https://www.ustechsregister.com/digigirlz2011/cityselect.aspx

Did you take your Education Credit on your Taxes this Year?

So, I have been getting a flurry of calls wanting to know whether its worth filing an amendment to take advantage of the various education credits that many people seem to have missed out on this year. Why?

Well, you generally get a 1098-T tax reporting form, from your school which states the amount of eligible tuition and fees received and also a counter balance accounting of the scholarships and grants you received.   Some schools have adopted the policy that they will not generate a 1098-T for the student if their records show that the amount of grants and scholarships that a student receives is

Interested in an Internship with the US Department of State?

The U.S. Department of State is now accepting applications for it's 2012 Spring Student Internship Program.

 

Click here and choose either Graduate/Post-Graduate or Undergraduate for more information and to start the online application process. Please note that the deadline to submit completed applications is July 01, 2011. 

You must be a U.S. Citizen and a student (a full- or part-time continuing college or university junior, or graduate student - including graduating seniors intending to go on to graduate school) to be eligible. Please read the program description and vacancy announcement for more information and for all requirements and qualifications. 
 U.S. citizenship is required. The US Department of State is an equal opportunity employer.

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes

If you are ages 8 to 18, and you are the prime mover of a service activity, consider this opportunity, the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes - there is an award of $2,500, but you must be nominated and that nomination deadline is right around the corner - April 30, 2011, so take action today.   

Waitlisted? Here are some ideas of what to do, to get off "The List."

Sharing this link from Christina Dell of "The Daily Beast" on some ideas of what to do if you are waitlisted titled "How to Get in when you are Waitlisted."

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students

Pursuing any of the following fields?

• medicine
• osteopathic medicine
• dentistry
• optometry
• pharmacy
• podiatric medicine
• veterinary medicine
• nursing (associate, diploma, baccalaureate and graduate degree)
• public health
• chiropractic
• allied health (baccalaureate or graduate degree programs of dental hygiene, medical laboratory technology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, radiologic technology, speech pathology, audiology, and registered dietitians)
• graduate programs in behavioral and mental health practice (includes clinical psychology, clinical social work, professional counseling, or marriage and family therapy)
• programs providing training of physician assistants

You may qualify for a scholarship, if you can be classified as a disadvantaged student, having low or very low income, and you are a citizen, national, or a lawful permanent resident of the United States or the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico or the Marianas Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated State of Micronesia. 

Contact your school to determine whether they are a participating school.  Schools are responsible for determining need and selecting scholarship particpants.   

Click here for more information.

What does the recent Student Loan Reform mean?

Last March (2010), President Obama signed legislation expanding access to college for many more students.   Over $68 billion of tax-payer money that commerical banks previously received as subsidies for writing student loans will now be re-directed to student financial aid funding and support.   Areas that will be affected by this change, include the following:

• Pell Grant funding will double
• Funding for community colleges will increase
• Support for minority-serving institutions will be increased
• Student loan payments will be capped at 10% of a graduate's discretionary income with forgiveness of the loan remainder after 20 years, and after 10 years if you have a career in public service
• Commercial banks will no longer receive government subsidies for writing federal guaranteed student loans, and these loans will now be provided directly from the federal government's Department of Education.
You may remember much discussion in the media in recent years where some schools were being investigated for accepting incentives from commercial lenders to place them on preferred lenders lists so that they (the banks) could increase the numbers of loans written, and therefore the amount of government subsidy received.   These subsidies are what will be re-injected into the student financial aid system, helping students directly.

With reform, for all intents and purposes there are now only two major categories of loans 1) Direct Federal Guaranteed Loans and 2) Private Loans, which include loans that schools may make in partnership with a commercial institution.

As I have mentioned on this blog before, if you qualify, grant aid should be your first source of funding your education, as this aid does not have to be repaid, then if you must use loans, you should always seek to use federally guaranteed loans first, and private loans only as a last resort.    Ask a lot of questions to ensure that you really understand what type of loan you are signing up for.    Some private loans are being named in such a way that they tend to suggest, intentionally or otherwise that they may be federal loans.     

The Federal guaranteed loans are the following loans

Federal Perkins Loans

Direct Stafford Loans

a)    Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

b)    Subsidized Stafford Loans

Direct PLUS Loans for Parents      and

Direct PLUS Loans for Graduate and Professional Degree Students



It's time to file your FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Nation,

It’s that time of year again, it’s time to file the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid which most colleges require that you file in order to determine your qualification for financial aid.  If you are attending a private college you may be required to file a CSS/Financial Aid Profile, in addition to the FAFSA.

To get started with the process print the worksheets here.   Gather your data and start