Student loans have become a crucial part of obtaining an education in the United States, particularly for those who come from lower-income backgrounds. While it’s certainly a good thing that more students from disadvantaged backgrounds are receiving an education, the debt burden being placed on America’s youth is a cause for concern. At College 2 Success, we believe in increasing public awareness of the student debt problem and finding economically-friendly alternatives to traditional educational financing tools. These include a range of services, such as payback plans, alternatives to traditional loans, scholarships, and much more.
Did you know that 71 percent of college students have debt when they graduate, and that each of those students has an average of $29,000 in debt to go along with their degree? The cost of getting an education has risen dramatically over the past few decades, even though incomes have not risen nearly as fast to compensate. Of course, the importance of a college education has never been higher, making the ability to fund that education absolutely essential.
With more than $1.2 trillion in aggregate college debt, our mission at College 2 Success is to help students find alternative ways to finance their education and more easily pay back the massive debt burden so many of them face. We use a number of programs to achieve this goal.
Need-based Scholarships We understand that the ability to earn an education shouldn’t have anything to do with your financial situation, and should instead be based on your desire to learn and your ability to succeed. Our need-based scholarships help students who might otherwise be unable to attend a university (or be crippled by debt in the process) afford the higher education they deserve.
Laptop Scholarships Every student knows that a laptop is more than just a way to check Facebook or play computer games. Laptops are now an essential part of getting an education. Everything from taking notes in class to working on group projects and e-mailing professors and fellow students can best be done from a personal laptop. Unfortunately, low-income students often have to make do without their own laptop, handicapping their ability to succeed. The College 2 Success Laptop Scholarship provides students with their own laptop at no cost to them, with the hope that by closing the technology gap we can help provide a level playing field for every deserving student.
Education Financing The United States offers students a number of financing solutions, ranging from scholarships and grants to subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans. However, some of these programs are insufficient or leave students with unacceptable levels of debt and interest payments.College 2 Success offers a unique opportunity for students to finance their education. Instead of paying interest on monthly balances, students utilizing the College 2 Success financing program only pay interest on year-end balances. For students who are not majoring in Math, this effectively means a significantly reduced interest burden when compared to traditional financing options. Students that are experiencing financial difficulty can also defer payments entirely until their circumstances improve.
Repayment Assistance Even with all of the federal programs designed to help students, it is still far too common to see graduates who are simply unable to pay their debts to the federal government. Debt deferment and forbearance can sometimes be difficult to get approved, further endangering a graduate’s financial situation.College 2 Success offers a program that can prevent graduates from defaulting on their debts by offering alternatives that are more flexible and understanding than many federal and private loan programs would allow.
Brandon & Leslie
If you believe that the student loan debt crisis is an increasingly serious problem in our country and want to help College 2 Success make a difference in the lives of college students, please considering making a donation. You contribution will directly benefit students who want to make something out of their lives without taking on excessive debt. College 2 Success helps countless students and graduates, and none of it would be possible without the generous contributions of people just like you.
