Ten Things Students Can Do

Young people can directly help reduce their college costs and the need for loans. Here are 10 suggestions.

They can or should:

1) Do well academically. Colleges, both public and private, offer substantial tuition grants to stop students to ease the financial bite. In most cases, the student needs excellent grades for all four years of high school, although the last two are usually weighted more heavily.

In other words, getting A's for three years and then partying during senior year will look worse than if the student struggled during freshman year and then made top grades the rest of high school.

2) Take college-level courses in high school. Advanced Placement courses are widely accepted for credit by colleges. Less frequently accepted, yet worth checking into, are courses taken at community colleges. You save on tuition costs and possibly graduate early, saving on room and board.

3) Be an outstanding athlete. Schools court high school athletes and grant scholarships to stars -- in hopes of pumping up their own teams.

4) Save their own money. When students of any age receive cash or checks from their aunts and uncles and anyone else, they should set aside at least half the amount (if not more) in their specially designated "college account." And, together work out a plan so that a percentage of money they earn from weekend and summer jobs also goes into that account.

CAUTION: Don't put too much money in your child's name, even though it's likely it will be taxed at a lower rate than yours. Colleges use a financial aid formula that assesses a family's need based on up to 5.65% of the parent's available assets and 20% of the assets in a child's name or in a custodial account.

5) Live at home & attend community college for two years. Then transfer to a four-year institution. This will certainly reduce tuition and room and board payments. Reassure your student that the name of the college from which he or she graduates is the one that goes on the resume.

6) Take summer classes while in college. Once again, this might wind up shaving off a semester or more. Just be absolutely certain that credits from another school will be accepted by the school from which the student will graduate.

7) Join AmeriCorps VISTA for a year. Participants received a modest living allowance, health benefits and either a $5,350 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award toward tuition at qualified colleges or it can be used to pay student loans. Another option: a check for $1,500 after completing the program, with no strings attached. INFO: http://www.americorps.org/

8) Sign on to be a teacher. TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College & Higher Education) offers up to $4,000 per year to students who agree to teach in "high-need" fields. Those include science, math and special education. And, the schools where one winds up teaching from serve students from low-income families. INFO:http://studentaid.ed.gov/. Type "TEACH" in the search box. Or, call: 800-4-FED-AID.

9) Look into other high-demand careers. In some cases, federal student loans are forgiven for those who become nurses, medical technicians or law enforcement officers. INFO:http://studentaid.ed.gov/. Type "in-demand careers" in the search box.

10) Check the benefits of ROTC or going to college on the GI Bill after military service.  The Post 9/11 GI Bill consists of education assistance programs run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. These programs benefit veterans, active service members and some dependents of disabled or deceased vets. Many vets who served after 9/11 get full college tuition and fees as well as $1,000 per year for books and supplies.

Note: Members of the Reserve and National Guard who have been activated for more than 90 days since 9/11 receive the same benefits.

ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) allows one to take a regular college curriculum plus certain specialized courses while training to become an officer in the Air Force, Army or Navy - upon graduation. In addition to having your tuition partially or fully paid by the government, there's a non-taxable monthly allowance ($250 to $400) and free travel on space-available military flights.

INFO: www.military.com  & http://www.va.gov/