The Path to College

The recession and the market crash haven't just decimated retirement savings. They've also toppled many families' college savings plans. And much like your investment accounts and home equity, college endowments have shrunk in the past year, pinching the ability of some schools to offer grants and scholarships. Meanwhile, private student loans are harder to get—the dollar amount of loans issued last year dropped about 30 percent as banks raised lending standards—and tuition costs continue to rise faster than inflation. "The landscape has gotten a lot more complicated," says Mark Kantrowitz of FinAid.org, a student-aid Web site. … Back to Article