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What’s the easiest way to get approved for a private student loan? Apply with a cosigner. 

Why? Because most college students don't have an adequate credit history to qualify on their own. In fact, 92% of private student loans are cosigned (according to figures from the MeasureOne Private Student Loan Report, Dec. 2019). 

With only a week to go before the traditional May 1st National College Decision Day, you may find yourself second-guessing your school choice — or possibly your decision to attend college in the fall at all. Nothing is normal during a pandemic. 

How can you navigate one of the biggest decisions of your life when it’s impossible to know what life will look several months from now? Here are five things to think about. 

College is expensive enough. Don’t make it pricier than it has to be by making choices about financial aid, classes, and college living that increase your costs even more. 

Here are nine tips to help prevent simple, but expensive mistakes that can increase your college debt:

What’s the secret formula to helping students avoid being crushed by student loan debt after graduation? Ken Ruggiero, the CEO of Ascent Student Loans, thinks he and his team of data scientists may have discovered a solution—and it’s probably not what you think it is.

Here’s the very short answer in two parts:

1. If you need a private student loan without a cosigner, but lack sufficient credit history and income, Ascent has an option based on your future earnings potential, and
2. If your lender doesn’t pony up all the money that you ask for, that might be a tremendous gift.

The prospect of paying for college can be overwhelming, even for the most well-prepared students. Tuition costs continue to rise, even though parental and post-graduate incomes haven’t followed the same trend. So who should pay for college? Viewpoints vary as to whether students or their parents should be responsible.

Let's take a look at some common viewpoints. 

If you’re new to the college funding process, you may find yourself a bit overwhelmed. That’s not unusual.

In fact, most people get pretty stressed out when they start thinking about how to pay for college. Your best bet is to use multiple approaches to fund your education. Let's take a look at your options.