Wichita State University has unveiled a new online course that offers a step-by-step approach to choosing and paying for college or vocational/technical school.
The course, which is free, intends to teach personal financial management topics that will help students and families make wise decisions regarding choosing and paying for college, and to help students learn how to manage their finances while they’re in college.
Part 1 covers choosing and understanding the costs of college, how to pay for college without borrowing (yay), using and repaying loans, and building an overall financial plan for the college years. Part 2 covers topics related to financial independence, including banking, budgeting, credit, debt, and identity theft.
It looks like it could be a helpful resource, and I like that students are strongly encouraged to avoid debt to pay for college. However, the course does discuss some loan options (which I know for more and more families today is not being considered as an option), and the course provides a broad overview rather than specific advice. You may find it to be a helpful starting point in planning for college.
You can find and sign up for the course at http://www.mycollegemoneyplan.org/.