College Planning

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• The Right Strategy for Applying for College Aid

  

  Few Americans save enough for the real cost of a college education, but some smart decisions about selling stock or a house can help you get financial aid to bridge the gap.

• Coursera CEO Daphne Koller on New Platform 

  

  CNBC's Julia Boorstin speaks to Daphne Koller, Coursera co-founder/co-CEO, about her company's business model, and why its grabbing the attention of students around the world.

• Credit Cards for College Kids? Pick Your Poison

  

  Parents signing off on a credit card for their collegian have a number of choices, all of which will require some careful thought.

• A Better Way Than 401(k)? 

  

  America's youngest workers are the first generation that will retire entirely on 401(k)s, with no pensions to fall back on. Ivory Johnson of Delancey Wealth Management, provides perspective.

• For-Profit Ed: No Good News 

  

  The beaten-down "for-profit" school stocks have been at the center of a different kind of storm, reports CNBC's Herb Greenberg.

• 'Useless' Degree, Awesome Job

  

  Recent graduates with arts degrees face a jobless rate of 11.1 percent. With numbers like that, the degree probably seems useless. But many people have gone on to great success after earning “useless” degrees.

• What College Tuition Will Look Like in 18 Years

  

  It’s not just the nation heading for a fiscal cliff. In 18 years, the average price for a private university could be as much as $130,428—a year.

• Slowly, as Student Debt Rises, Colleges Confront Costs

  

  Student loans are near the $1 trillion mark and educators are studying harder so they might avoid failing a critical test of advanced college finance.

• Student Loan Bill? Not So Fast.

  

  In the political campaigns still taking shape, President Barack Obama, Republican challenger Mitt Romney and lawmakers of both parties say they want to protect college students from a sharp increase in interest rates on federally subsidized loans.

• Even After Bankruptcy, Trapped by Student Debt

  

  Under a 2005 law passed by Congress to protect lenders, private student loans fall under the same nearly-impossible-to-clear category as child support payments and criminal fines.

• Student Loans: The Next Bailout?

  

  Here’s what we do know about student loan debt: it’s roughly $1 trillion in size, greater than either auto or credit-card debt and second only to mortgage debt in the U.S.

• Scheinberg: Academia’s Bitter Medicine is Our Business Plan

  

  What if a college did not spend its resources on sports stadiums? What if it quit the competitive "arms race" and did not build climbing walls and multimillion dollar student unions? What if a college did not spend its students’ resources on top "name brand" researchers, who undergraduates rarely see? In fact, what if there was no faculty tenure at all?

• Maney: The Internet May Be the Key to Managing Runaway College Costs

  

  The rampant inflation in the cost of U.S. higher education since 1980 makes gasoline and healthcare price hikes over the same period look like an Indy car racing a pair of old-school Volkswagen vans.

• Karsten: Will Student Debt Lead to a Financial Crisis?

  

  Parents and students have an array of options for financing education costs, including private loans from banks, tapping home equity credit lines and dipping into retirement accounts. However, the quest to provide a better life for their children can create a lager financial mess for the parents.

• Santelli's Take on 'Debt Forgiveness'  

  

  CNBC's Rick Santelli weighs in on "tough love" and why it is important for people to pay off their debt, whether it's student loans or home mortgages.

• Suze Orman’s Rules for Lending Money

  

  As much as you may want to help out a friend or family member in need, there are several rules you should follow before you hand over any cash.

• Student Loan Crisis Busts Savings

  

  Parents who borrow money to pay for their children's college education are exacerbating a growing student loan crisis.

• Getting Americans Working Again 

  

  Job skills are getting higher in growth areas, but there are not enough Americans that can do them. How to fix the rising education gap in America, with Jeremy Siegel, The Wharton School; Ann Winblad, Winblad Venture; and Bill Gross, PIMCO. "Focus on where the jobs are going to be and what education we need to give," says Ann Winblad.

• Peter Thiel's 20 Under 20 

  

  Peter Thiel is one of the most successful investors in Silicon Valley and also one of the most controversial. Last night, he called on top tech companies to drop the college degree as a job requirement. It's not the first time he's questioned the value of college. Thiel's looking for kids around the country who can be molded into innovators and entrepreneurs via the Thiel Fellowship.

• Most Expensive US College Dorms

  

  When people lament the cost of  college, they’re usually talking about tuition. They often don't think of room and board. Now, there's a list  that shows that a bed and three square meals a day aren’t cheap either.