February is Financial Aid Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to explore ways to help your college-bound student manage their expenses and understand their loans.
Talk It Out
The first thing you should do is sit down and discuss the many different college costs, including the following:
Paying for college can be a difficult concept for many students to understand, so dealing with discrepancies in costs between schools can be helpful—especially the differences between public and private schools.
Split It Up
Talk about what you are willing to pay or borrow for and what your child is responsible for while getting as granular as possible.
Take Advantage of Financial Support
Higher education is pricey! Thankfully, there are resources that can ease the burden, including:
Many high schools offer lists of scholarships that are available for graduating seniors. Check with your child’s school to see the additional scholarships they may be eligible for and start applying ASAP.
Preparing for college is equally exciting and daunting as you and your child prepare to take on new expenses and responsibilities. Utilizing the resources available to you can help ease the financial burden and allow you to get the most out of the college experience! BrightBridge is here to help.
Learn more and apply for our 2025 Scholarship Awards at https://www.brightbridge.com/scholarship.
Category: College Bound
You successfully made it through the college application and admissions processes—congratulations! Now that you’ve found a fantastic school, it’s time to create a smart plan to pay for your education.
Wow, that went by fast! It’s time to head off to college, but you and your family didn’t save enough for the educational experience you’re hoping for. Now what do you do?! Don’t worry– it’s never too late. You can use a combination of these 4 strategies to help make your college dream a reality:
School graduations are major milestones. So it makes sense that you’d want to mark the occasion with a memorable, meaningful and useful gift.
So you’re college-bound, and before you even step foot on campus, your bank account is already worthy of “starving student” status. You need money for tuition and expenses, but it’s too late to start saving now. Is there any hope? Yes!
Do you know about Massachusetts’ first statewide college savings program, BabySteps? The goal of this program is to ensure every family has the opportunity for future success! BabySteps will provide $50 towards every child born or adopted in the Commonwealth upon opening a 529 college savings account. This program is designed to help all parents save for their child’s higher education, and level the playing field for all children in Massachusetts.
Yikes! It’s almost time for your child to go to college, and you didn’t save enough for the education you want to provide him or her. But guess what? Your goals may still be within reach with the help of a combination of resources. Before getting stressed out, learn about these 4 ways to pay for college:
This is the big summer, the last one of your high school career! At this time next year, you’ll have graduated and will be on your way to the next phase of your life. Life will change quite a bit, whether you go to college or trade school, take a gap year to volunteer or travel, join the military, or jump right into your career. Are you ready? Probably not, but there’s still time!
Did you know it’s truly never too late to go “back to school” and learn something new? There are options in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and even online for adults who are ready to expand their knowledge!
#1 Before you buy anything for your teen’s dorm room, find out what the school already provides either in the room or somewhere in the building. Some dorms have shared kitchen areas, vacuums that can be borrowed, etc.
At one point in my post-grad career, I had to temporarily switch to an Income-Sensitive Repayment Plan. This option stipulated that the loan payments were going to be based on my annual income. I was only on this plan for about one year but I was paying almost $200 less than what my regular payments were supposed to be.
You could spend this summer between high school and college vegging out, or you could use the next few months to get ahead. Here are some quick tips for making the most of this special summer:
You’ve received your college acceptance letters, graduated from high school, and maybe even had a big party to celebrate. Congratulations! While some students may be hitting the beach and taking time to decompress, you want to make the most of the next few months before going off to college. You’re smart! There are several ways you can maximize the summer break to put yourself in a much better position for your upcoming college career:
February is Financial Aid Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to explore ways to help your college-bound student manage their expenses and understand their loans.
Student loans are a reality for millions of Americans, offering both opportunities and important considerations for your budget. When managed strategically, they can serve as a valuable financial tool, but thoughtful planning is key to managing repayment effectively.