FAP436: FAFSA, FAFSA, FAFSA, stolen broccoli, Stanford funds, USC scholarship, Eileen Meyer

Student Financial Aid News
+ Crickets!
+ In a move that is attracting praise, Stanford University announced this month that it is starting a new program in which every faculty member in the humanities — pre- or post-tenure — will receive $5,000 a year to spend on any research-related need. Faculty members will be able to use the funds for travel to scholarly conferences or archives, to hire research assistants for bibliographic work, or for any related reason.
+ A Congressional aide has been fired after contacting two people authorities say he believed could break into the Texas Christian University computer system and change his grades, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
+ Someone got way more than the recommended daily serving of vegetables when a refrigerated trailer loaded with $50,000 worth of broccoli was stolen. The 48-foot trailer disappeared from its rented parking space in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park sometime between Sunday and Tuesday morning, police said.

Scholarship Update
+ On a whim, looking for a broccoli scholarship
+ USC School of Cinema and Television Scholarships
+ Unique to USC
+ Includes the Dana and Albert Broccoli Endowed Scholarship
+ Details at our free scholarship search site

Focus on Financial Aid
+ FAFSA filing – yes, it’s free
+ FAFSA forms – even if you make over $100,000 per year, your financial situation may be such that filing a FAFSA makes sense
+ What’s this PIN business?
+ How do I get my funding?
+ When do I get a check?
+ College Goal Sunday if you need help
+ I’ll be at Massachusetts College Goal Sunday

Podsafe Music
+ Eileen Meyer, Angel Falls
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

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FAP435: Who is an independent student on the FAFSA, recalcitrant parents, 2005 IPEDS statistics, genderblind housing, Iona

Student Financial Aid News
+ Boy is it quiet out there!
+ Nearly 2.3 million students received degrees from four-year colleges and about 557,000 earned degrees from community colleges in the 2004-5 academic year, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Education Department.
+ The report, “Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2005 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2004-05,” provides a first look at the latest data on college costs and degree attainment that the Education Department has collected through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. The system, commonly known as Ipeds, compiles information from reports that colleges that receive federal funds are required to file.
+ According to the report, in the 2005-6 academic year the average tuition and fees charged were: $16,888 for students at private four-year colleges, $13,894 at for-profit colleges, and $2,514 at community colleges. Out-of-state students at public four-year colleges paid an average of $12,652, while in-state students paid an average of $5,206.
+ Meanwhile, according to the report, the overall average price of attendance for undergraduates living on a campus was the highest at for-profit colleges, at $28,250. That was about 2 percent more than the $27,754 that students at private four-year colleges were charged, on average. Out-of-state students at public four-year colleges paid an average price of $22,791, while in-state students paid an average of $15,114.
+ Not surprisingly, community colleges offered the lowest price of attendance over all in 2005-6: $6,200 for students living off campus.
+ Need financial aid to cover the cost of attendance?
+ Federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Private student loans at AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ The National Student Genderblind Campaign — a new, student-run organization dedicated to sharing resources for students seeking on-campus “gender-neutral” housing options – counts about two dozen institutions with a mixed-gender rooming alternative already in place, and many more actively discussing the option. Students often push for these policies not so Jack and Jill can tumble around, but to provide a housing alternative that some gay, lesbian and transgender students may be more comfortable with.

Scholarship Update
+ A nice directory of scholarships for women and non-traditional students, returning students
+ Fairly large awards, like Datatel’s 5+ year gap award
+ 50 scholarships of $1,500 each
+ Details at our free scholarship search site

Focus on Financial Aid
+ More FAFSA stuff
+ FAFSA: What to do with non-responsive parents
+ FAFSA: Who is independent?

Podsafe Music
+ Iona, Ocean
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

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FAP434: FAFSA stuff, Tribute to Robert T. Stafford, First Generation Grants, Mario Ajero

Student Financial Aid News
+ Robert T. Stafford, the long-serving Republican senator from Vermont who played such a major role in shaping the guaranteed-student-loan program that his Senate colleagues named the program for him, died December 23 at the age of 93.
+ A Republican, Stafford served two years as governor, 11 years in the House and 17 in the Senate before retiring in 1988.
+ He also dedicated himself to education from his perch on the Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts and the Humanities. Congress saluted his dedication in 1988, renaming the Federal Guaranteed Student Loan program the Robert T. Stafford Student Loan program.
+ The low-interest loans to students are now known almost universally as “Stafford loans” to the millions who qualify for them each year. According to the federal Education Department, about 14 million Stafford loans were given to postsecondary students in 2006.
+ Also passing away recently, James Brown and Gerald Ford
+ FAFSA filing season is only 5 days away!
+ I got accepted for College Goal Sunday – meet me in at Framingham High School in Framingham, MA!
+ Thomas M. Menino, the mayor of Boston, is so frustrated with the performance of community colleges that serve the city that he is exploring plans to have the institutions report to the city rather than the state, The Boston Globe reported. Officials of Bunker Hill and Roxbury Community Colleges indicated that they are willing to consider the mayor’s ideas. Menino has criticized the colleges low graduation rates (not even 15 percent) and called for them to offer more programs that would train people for jobs in the financial services and life sciences industries.

Scholarship Update
+ The Florida First Generation Matching Grant Program (FGMG) provides need-based grants to undergraduate students who are enrolled in state universities and whose parents have not earned baccalaureate degrees. Available state funds are contingent upon matching contributions from private sources on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
+ Meet Florida’s residency requirements for receipt of state student financial aid by maintaining Florida residency for purposes other than education for a minimum of 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of class of the academic term for which funds are requested.
+ Not owe a repayment under any state or federal grant or scholarship program unless satisfactory arrangements to repay have been made.
+ Not be in default on any federal Title IV or state student loan program unless satisfactory arrangements to repay have been made.
+ Not have previously received a baccalaureate degree.
+ Be a first generation college student. A student is considered “first generation” if neither of the student’s parents earned a college degree at the baccalaureate level or higher. A student would also be eligible if he/she regularly resided with and received support from only one parent who did not earn a baccalaureate degree.
+ Be accepted at a state university.
+ Enroll for a minimum of 6 credit hours per term as a degree-seeking undergraduate student.
+ Meet additional eligibility requirements as established by the postsecondary institution.
+ Apply by filing your FAFSA before the state’s deadline, May 15, 2007
+ Details at our free scholarship web site

Focus on Financial Aid
+ FAFSA deadlines at FAFSAonline.com
+ FAFSA – getting your documents together
+ FAFSA – it’s too hard
+ We do NOT charge money for the FAFSA
+ Filing your FAFSA on time – the postal service is your enemy
+ Always, always, always print out your results

Podsafe Music
+ Mario Ajero, Auld Lang Syne
+ If you’re a podsafe musician who can crank out solos of any kind, holiday music is an EASY win – there are only 2 versions of Auld Lang Syne on the PMN!
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

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FAP433: 2006 Year In Review – Top Stories on the Financial Aid Podcast

A special episode of the Financial Aid Podcast talking about the top stories of 2006.

10. Housing bubble burst

9. Democratic election of Congress
+ Explosion of private student loans

8. Graduate PLUS loan program created

7. MyRichUncle came out swinging against traditional FFELP practices

6. No more credit cards to pay tuition

5. Federal reserve levels off rates after 2 1/2 years of interest rate increases

4. Investigation of Sallie Mae and other major lenders

3. Explosion of scams regarding scholarships, loans, etc.

2. Identity theft rockets upward

1. Major program changes
+ End of the two step student loan consolidation
+ End of single lender rule
+ Stafford and PLUS loans become fixed rate loans
+ July 1 rate increase
+ Elimination of reconsolidation and spousal consolidation

Predictions for 2007
+ Tuition will go up
+ Loan and grant aid won’t
+ Private student loans
+ Private student loan consolidation
+ Housing bubble causes more widespread economic effects

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

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FAP431: Bryan Person Guest Hosts, Study Abroad, Jill Parr

Student Financial Aid News
+ Bryan Person from New Comm Road hosts today’s episode!
+ Is financial aid in jeopardy for students at for-profit colleges in the State of California? That is what state officials are asking the U.S. Education Department, following the decision by California Republican California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto a bill that would have extended the life of the Bureau of Private and Postsecondary Vocational Education. Should that bureau close down on July 1, as it is now scheduled to do, for-profit colleges in California may lose their “legally authorized” status, which allows them to adminster federal student aid. Stay tuned on this one.
+ Financial aid help may be on the way for members of the military in Minnesota. State attorney general-elect Lori Swanson has proposed a $15 million-a-year assistance bill for veterans and their family members. Nearly 8,000 soldiers from Minnesota have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last four years, including 3,000 currently. Under Swanson’s proposal, veterans who spent at least 90 days or combat or two years on active duty would qualify for aid. Veterans’ spouses would also be eligible, as would children of soldiers injured or killed in the line of duty.
+ Higher-education news out of Iraq … the prime minister there Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is ordering students and professors back to class … for the good of the country. Many students and professors have been avoiding the university … for their own safety. According to the Charlotte Observer … Iraq’s universities have routinely been a target for violence by insurgents since the war began there nearly four years ago. Gangs take over school buildings, issue death threats, and generally bring out plenty of fear and chaos at universities. Many obeying the prime minister’s orders to go back to school or risk expulsion have resorted to traveling to school … in disguise.

Focus on Financial Aid
+ Talking about studying abroad today — why it’s important and how you can finance it with financial aid. Questions to consider:
+ Are you interested in a study abroad program at your own school? How do the costs of a semester abroad compare to costs of staying on campus?
+ Are you selecting a program at another school that’s part of a network or consortium with your home school?
+ Is your program of interest being held outside of the normal semester schedule (summer session, winter session)? If so, using your financial aid for these programs may impact the amount of financial aid you have available in the rest of the academic year.
+ Are you studying directly at the international school? If so, you’ll need to find out whether that school is has received its Title IV certification from the U.S. government.
+ What are the work regulations in the country you intend to study? Are there any restrictions/prohibitions on working as an overseas student?
+ Does your school offer scholarships specifically for overseas study? If so, are they awarded based on need or merit?
+ Other steps:
+ Talk to your school’s financial aid office.
+ Talk to your school’s study abroad office.
+ Do a search for study abroad programs at http://www.internationalstudent.com/studyabroad/

Scholarship update
+ The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship was established back in 2000 and provides overseas study scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students at a 2- or 4-year colleges who are currently receiving the Pell Grant.
+ The program is funded by congress and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). This academic year 777 scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded, with the average award worth $4,000.
+ The overseas program must last at least four weeks and can last for a maximum of one academic year. There are two application cycles. The first is for programs starting between December 15 and April 15, which has just passed. But the next one is coming up soon and covers programs starting between July 15 and October 15. The deadline for the Fall 2007 cycle is April 3, 2007, and the application will be available online in February.
+ Detailed information at our free scholarship search site

Podsafe Music
+ Jill Parr, Oh Come All Ye Faithful
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

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FAP430: Free Stuff Thursday, Citibank and the College Board together, evolution, Charles Darwin University, Matthew Ebel

Student Financial Aid News
+ Stamford, Conn.-based The Student Loan Corp., a unit of Citibank NA, announced Tuesday that it is has partnered with the College Board, administrator of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
+ Through the deal, the College Board will offer Student Loan Corp.’s private and federal student loans and utilize its servicing and secondary market operations.
+ The College Board is based in New York.
+ Lobbying and lobbyists may appear to be on the defensive in Washington, as invective and legislation to limit efforts to influence the federal government both have been tossed around with abandon of late. But higher education shows no signs of weaning itself of the practice, which is clearly on the rise.
+ Colleges and universities and others with a direct interest in higher education — including associations, accrediting groups and lenders — reported spending nearly $94.6 million on lobbying Congress and top executive branch officials in 2005, an Inside Higher Ed analysis shows. That is about $15 million, or 18 percent, more than the $80 million they reported spending in 2004.
+ Banks and other entities in the student-loan industry reported spending about $5.7 million, led by Sallie Mae’s nearly $2.1 million.
+ When the College Board held its annual news conference on tuition rates and student aid in October, student aid experts identified several trends as troubling. One of them was the increased student reliance on private loans to finance their education. Data released by the board showed that private student loans now total more than $17 billion and have grown at an annual average rate of 27 percent since 2000.
+ Adding to the problem: Many students don’t understand the difference between private and federal loans and are stunned to find themselves with much more demanding repayment schedules than they expected.
+ So a few eyebrows were raised this week when Citibank announced that it was expanding its private loan operations through a “strategic alliance” with the College Board, which will be paid (a sum or percentage that both Citibank and the College Board declined to disclose) for the private loans it sells for Citibank. And while the College Board was criticizing the growth in private lending at its October conference, it didn’t exactly point out that it has been in this business for some time.
+ Prospective engineers could get a break on their student loans under an incentive set to kick in next school year from Missouri’s college loan agency.
+ The Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority said Tuesday that a new program will reduce student balances on common Stafford loans by up to $3,500 for college freshmen enrolling in pre-engineering programs for the 2007-2008 school year.
+ The loan forgiveness program was suggested by a task force appointed by Gov. Matt Blunt to study ways of enticing more people into the math and sciences field, said Will Shaffner, MOHELA’s director of business development.
+ A suburban school board that put stickers in high school science books saying evolution is “a theory, not a fact” abandoned its legal battle to keep them Tuesday after four years. The Cobb County board agreed in federal court never to use a similar sticker or to undermine the teaching of evolution in science classes. In return, the parents who sued over the stickers agreed to drop all legal action.

Scholarship Update
+ THE-ICE Scholarships for Tourism and Hospitality Studies
+ The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality (THE-ICE) is an Australian Government initiative designed to encourage excellence in tourism and hospitality education. THE-ICE has announced their 2007 scholarships to international students who wish to study tourism and hospitality at member institutions around Australia. The scholarships comprise a grant of AUD$10,000 per year, available for Bachelor and Diploma level study programs commencing Semester 2, 2007.
+ At Charles Darwin University
+ Details at our free scholarship web site

Free Stuff Thursday
+ PeerFlix
+ Free Blockbuster rentals for Netflix customers
+ Silly holiday downloads
+
+
+

Podsafe Music
+ Matthew Ebel, Walk a Thousand Miles
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

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FAP429: Budgeting and net worth, illegal immigrants and financial aid, 87 million dollars in Kentucky scholarships, Sarah Dashew

Student Financial Aid News
+ Financial aid awards for college and technical training expenses rose 7.7 percent, or $11.8 million, during fiscal year 2006, according to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority.
+ During the year, KHEAA disbursed more than $177 million, including $83.3 million in need-based grants and $86.5 million in merit-based Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarships, which are funded by revenue from the Kentucky Lottery.
+ From the AP: High-performing students who grew up in Georgia but are undocumented immigrants soon won’t qualify for discounted tuition at state colleges.
+ The change is necessary to comply with the state’s new aggressive immigration laws that went into effect in July, said Burns Newsome, attorney for the Georgia Board of Regents. It means students who have high grades but are in the country illegally will have to pay the much higher out-of-state tuition rates rather than being allowed to pay in-state tuition.
+ Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, architect of the tough immigration laws, said the state should not subsidize the education of student who won’t be able to work legally after graduation.
+ It is unclear how many students will be affected because the Regents don’t track the number of illegal immigrants at state colleges.
+ Across the nation, debt loads are rising for students, the highest being in New Hampshire, where the class of 2005 graduated with an average debt of $22,793, according to The Project on Student Debt.
+ Got that much debt? $262/month, after consolidating your student loans, $175/month. Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com

Scholarship Update
+ Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarships
+ The 1998 General Assembly provided Kentucky high school students a great opportunity to make their education pay with the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)! KEES, administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), is funded by Kentucky Lottery proceeds.
+ Students who try to get the most from high school by studying hard and making good grades (2.5 GPA or higher) can earn scholarships for college or technical school.
+ The better students do in high school, the more they will earn toward college scholarships. And students who complete their college studies have a better opportunity to achieve their career goals and improve their standard of living.
+ You do not have to apply for a KEES award. It is sent automatically to the college you’re attending after the school lets KHEAA know that you are attending classes.
+ Details at our free scholarship search site
+ 338 links worth $4,067,322,173

Mail Bag
+ Johnny Hung writes in: Hello, I have several questions concerning financial needs. I am a immigrant and have question, but i am a legal permanent resident in the state of Texas and was wondering if their are any financial aids for me like state or federal. I don’t know if i can apply for FASFA and if not can you provide me with several tips and other financial help where i can apply. I am currently a sophomore at my high school, and the reason i ask is because i want to know ahead of time since my sister is a junior and would like to know ahead so that there would not be any problems when she reached her senior year next year.
+ FASFA is frozen at sea fillet association
+ FAFSA is free application for federal student aid
+ Michael Trobisch writes in: hi chris. just wondered if you have any shows on budgeting. something i could dig out in the archives. btw is it possible to search your archives by key words? thanks for your help…
+ Episode 382
+ Assessing net worth
+ Check out the Google Spreadsheet and copy it liberally!

Podsafe Music
+ Sarah Dashew, Jealous Girl
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

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FAP428: Sallie Mae Strikes Back, financial aid at Johns Hopkins, Minority scholarships, Natalie Gelman

Student Financial Aid News
+ The growth of private student loans has outpaced federal programs during the past decade. That, coupled with many private lenders’ direct marketing campaigns, has some financial aid offices concerned.
+ A report conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy found that officials are worried that direct marketing campaigns cause undergraduates unfamiliar with their options to miss out on lower-rate federal loans.
+ Additionally, the report found that 19% of students who borrowed from private lenders borrowed less than the maximum amount at lower rates allowed by the federal Stafford loan program.
+ From NASFAA: “Student-loan giant Sallie Mae, under growing pressure from the new Democratic leadership in Congress, is trying to rally support from an important customer base: college financial aid officers,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Sallie Mae emailed a letter to school officials this week, warning about Sen. Edward Kennedy’s anticipated Student Loan Sunshine Act aimed at holding school officials accountable for their business relationships with lenders such as Sallie Mae, and the Education Department’s investigations into some schools’ practice of ‘preferred lender lists.’”
+ The letter from Sallie Mae Executive Vice President Kevin Moehn says that “Sallie Mae believes these unwarranted attacks have armed certain detractors with a political opportunity to denigrate the [Federal Family Education Loan] program and has led to an environment of innuendo and misinformation that has unfortunately attracted the attention of regulators and may sidetrack the new Congress.” It attached a list of 16 bulleted “facts” defending the FFEL Program, where students borrow through banks and lenders such as Sallie Mae. That program competes with the government’s own William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program, which bypasses lenders such as Sallie Mae. Kennedy and other Democrats have promoted the direct loan program as more cost-effective.
+ Kennedy said in a statement that “it’s hardly surprising that Sallie Mae would take a proposal intended to protect students and spin it as an attack on college financial aid professionals.”
+ I say keep them both – competition is good!
+ I volunteered this morning for Massachusetts College Goal Sunday. We’ll see if my application is accepted!

Scholarship Update
+ PriceWaterhouseCoopers eXceed Minority Scholarships Program
+ Since 1990, we have awarded scholarships to some of the best and brightest African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native American students in the U.S. Our program includes:
+ A $3,000 monetary award
+ Participation in our annual Diversity in Business Leadership Conference
+ A PricewaterhouseCoopers internship
+ Eligibility:
+ To qualify, you must be a Freshman or Sophomore with strong academic standing (3.2 or higher) and an academic and career interest in Accounting, Management Information Systems and/or Computer Science.
+ The application process runs from September 2006 through December 31, 2006. The scholarship winners will be announced in April 2007.
+ Resume including current GPA (High School or College)
+ Personal Information Sheet
+ Personal Essay: The PricewaterhouseCoopers core values are Leadership, Excellence and Teamwork. Your essay should describe how you have demonstrated one or all of these values in your academic and/or professional career and why you believe these values are important. In addition, briefly outline your career goals in the area of accounting, business or IT.
+ A letter of recommendation from a college/high school professor, official or advisor
+ Based on your initial application finalists will be interviewed in person by a PricewaterhouseCoopers partner, manager, or recruiter. As part of the interview process you will need to provide an official college/university and/or high school transcript.
+ Details at our free scholarship web site

Mail Bag
+ Dominique calls in about continuing education certification program for JHU
+ Dr. Ellen Frishberg – let me know more!
+ If you’re going to school more than half time, you can apply for the Stafford federal student loan for graduate students
+ You’ll need to file your FAFSA first
+ Graduate students can also get the graduate PLUS loan at GradLoans.com
+ ACT Education Loans would fit the bill save that they’re private student loans
+ You’re right that you can’t consolidate federal student loans and private student loans together in an advantageous way

Podsafe Music
+ Natalie Gelman, Always Was
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

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FAP427: Your credit may deny you a job and how to fix it, private student loan news, movie scholarship, Slackstring

Student Financial Aid News
+ From BankNet360: College graduates who don’t pay off their student loans may be in more trouble than they realize. Many employers are now using credit checks to help choose job applicants.
+ Banking, information technology, and accounting companies, in addition to many government agencies, and police and fire departments are the most likely to do so. It is a new trend that became more common after the Sept. 11 attacks.
+ Weak job markets are partly to blame for the trend, giving employers room to be pickier, believing a person’s credit history can sometimes give a clue to their stability.
+ MyRichUncle, a brand of student loans issued by New York-based MRU Holdings Inc., today announced it will help some college students get home for the holidays on Dec. 21.
+ The company will reimburse students for the $15, one-way fare on the Fung Wah “Chinatown Bus” from Boston to New York, where college students are the majority of passengers.
+ To receive the gift, at the terminal students must provide a MyRichUncle representative with their pre-purchased bus ticket, student ID, and email address.
+ MyRichUncle powers our Graduate Student Loans at GradLoans.com
+ From NASFAA: “Concerned about the deals that some lenders have struck with financial-aid administrators to win student-loan business, U.S. Education Department officials are considering barring colleges from recommending fewer than three lenders to students who are seeking federal loans,” reports The Chronicle of Higher Education. “Speaking on Wednesday before a committee that will recommend changes in federal student-aid rules, department officials said they were concerned that some colleges had violated the law by forcing students to borrow from lenders with which the institutions have exclusive arrangements.”
+ From Inside Higher Ed: A report, The Future of Private Loans: Who Is Borrowing, and Why?, issued by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, found that the vast majority (83 percent) of students with private student loans are undergraduates, while 9 percent are graduate students and 7 percent professional students. Yet professional students, proportionally, are much likelier than undergraduate or graduate students to take out private loans: 24 percent of professional students had private loans in 2003-4, compared to 5 percent of both undergraduate and graduate students.
+ In addition, nearly 80 percent of undergraduates who borrow privately also hold federal Stafford loans, lending credence to the notion that many people turn to private loans mainly because their rising college costs and borrowing needs exceed the U.S. government’s limits on federal loan amounts.
+ Well, duh!

Scholarship Update
+ Warner Bros. Pictures is giving fans the opportunity to win a $50,000 scholarship by entering a We Are Marshall fan page contest. The contest encourages entrants to create the most impressive and creative film fan page on favorite social networking sites, such as MySpace, AIM Pages, Friendster, Live Journal, MSN Spaces, Tagged, Xanga, Yahoo 360, Facebook or their personal web page.
+ The director, McG, will choose the winning page. Warner Bros. will showcase some of the top entries on the film’s official website.
+ Fans can download a We Are Marshall materials tool kit to aid with the construction of their pages. The tool kit will include stills, logos, and trailers, among other content. The page that displays the most spirit will win the $50,000 Scholarship award. Judging will be based on content, creativity, originality and use of materials. Sites must be kept live throughout the duration of the contest, ending on the film’s opening day, December 22, 2006.
+ Deadline December 22, 2006
+ Details at our free scholarship web site, Student Scholarship Search

Financial Hacks
+ Understanding incentivized systems
+ Credit bureaus
+ Credit is a system incentivizing banks
+ The worse your credit is, the more money they make
+ Credit bureaus have no incentive to accurately report your credit
+ For more credit tips, check out our student credit and credit card site, Student Platinum.
+ Get consistent credit reports through the year
+ Every 4 months from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
+ Call the toll free number instead of using the web site
+ 877-322-8228
+ Use the mail in PDF in today’s show notes

Podsafe Music
+ Slackstring, Lay Back Live
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

Direct MP3 file download: MP3 file

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FAP426: Student Loan Television – The Freecast

Today’s episode is a little different – a video for free stuff Friday on how to use Google Reader to find relevant free stuff!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time – visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

Direct MP3 file download: MP4 video file

Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast