Almost time to start paying back your student loans?  Contrary to popular belief, your student loan payments don’t have to stop you from living your life. You just have to weigh your options and find a strategy that works within your budget. Here are some steps to get you started.

To view the full article, visit https://blog.ed.gov/2016/04/5-must-dos-before-repaying-your-student-loans/?sf86459059=1

Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, is one of the most important steps students and their families can take to pay for college.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Education awards around $150 billion in financial aid annually to help students pay for their education at 6,000 colleges, universities and career schools. This aid comes in the form of grants, student loans and work-study funds. In other words, funds can be awarded, such as with a grant; borrowed; or earned through work experience.

While the Department of Education has streamlined the FAFSA process over the last two decades, students and parents often have questions about the form. Here's what to know about the FAFSA.

To view the full article, visit https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/completing-the-fafsa

Join Federal Student Aid for #AskFAFSA Office Hours on Twitter!

You'll get the chance to have your questions answered by experts in real time. You can submit questions by including the #AskFAFSA hashtag in your tweet, and we'll answer your questions during the live event. Follow us on @FAFSA and join the conversation live by following the hashtag #AskFAFSA.

Visit studentaid.gov/events to view dates and times.

Don't have Twitter? You can still watch the conversation live by following the hashtag #AskFAFSA.

Managing your money during a semester abroad is no easy feat.

After a summer internship at CNBC writing about personal finance, I left for a semester abroad armed with plenty of information to better manage my money. But now that I've been in Spain for a few months, I've found there's a lot I didn't know.

Here are six key lessons I've learned about how to manage money while studying abroad.

To view the full article, visit https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/09/6-tricks-to-spend-wisely-during-a-semester-abroad.html.

To learn about funding your education view the Scholarships & Financial Aid, Financial Solutions for All Students presentation.

A recent Bankrate survey found that most Americans don’t have enough saved to cover $1,000 for an emergency. What’s worse is nearly one in five said they would put the expense on a credit card. If that’s you, here are 5 things you can do to start saving more right now.

To view the full article, visit https://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-simple-ways-start-saving-money-year-190258555.html

Fall 2017 Work Study End Date for Graduating Students is December 13

Per governmental regulations, students may not earn work study funds past the last date of enrollment, which is Wednesday, December 13 for Fall 2017.  If the graduating student works thereafter, all of those earnings must be paid from departmental funds.  The Student Employment Office will communicate with departments after pay period 8 regarding work study students graduating in December who may require payroll corrections.  Please note: Work study students registered for the Spring 2018 term are not affected.  They can continue to be paid from work study funds for time worked between semesters.

Work Study Overtime

Beginning December 17, 2017, overtime earnings for student employees can no longer be paid from work study funds.  All overtime earnings incurred after December 17 will be paid with departmental funds only.

 

Student Employee Training for Transition to Workday

In preparation for the system-wide transition to Workday in December, the Student Employment Office strongly recommends that all student employees complete the following Workday training courses via TrainTraq prior to December 17^th, 2017:

1. 2113188: GA010 TAMUS Workday Core Concepts

2. 2113189: GA020 Navigating Workday. 

Workday job aids for student employees can be found in the Workday Help module, accessible via your main Single Sign-On menu.  Supervisors, please remember that student employees should be paid for the time during which they complete any job-related training.

If you have further questions or need any clarification, please contact the Student Employment Office at workstudy@tamu.edu.

Raising Awareness of Student Loan Debt Relief Scams

Student loan borrowers have reported receiving phone calls, texts, and other communications offering relief from their federal student loans or warning them that student loan forgiveness programs would end soon. Usually, the companies offering these types of services don't offer any relief at all.

Federal Student Aid (FSA) has taken several steps to raise awareness of such scams. We have posted descriptions of typical claims made by student loan debt relief companies, as well as tips on avoiding scams and getting help with loans for free, at StudentAid.gov/loanscams.

In addition to our Twitter Office Hours on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 5–6 p.m. ET, FSA is partnering with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to answer your questions about repaying student loans and how to avoid debt relief scam companies. You can submit questions by including the hashtag #AskFAFSA in your tweet. We will answer your questions on Wednesday during the live event. (Don't have Twitter? You can still watch the conversation live.)

Also, Thursday, Nov. 30 from 2–3 p.m. ET, Federal Student Aid and the FTC will be hosting a webinar titled "Avoiding Student Loan Scams." The webinar will focus on what action federal loan borrowers can take if contacted by debt relief companies. Sign up for the webinar today.

Visit StudentAid.gov/loanscams for information and for links to the webinar and Twitter Office Hours.

The financial health of Americans has been headline material of late and the prognosis is grim–69 percent of Americans surveyed have less than $1,000 in savings, and 3 percent have nothing put away for emergencies, much less retirement. And when it comes to financial health after college, many young adults are ill-prepared to handle their burdens.

If your institution is not yet teaching financial literacy, there is no time like the present. There are many free or low-cost ways in which you can have a significant impact on your students’ financial well-being. Here are a few suggestions.

To view full article, visit https://www.ecampusnews.com/curriculum/teach-financial-literacy-college/

Federal Student Loan Interest Rates effective July 1, 2017 
Direct Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loan for undergraduate students - 4.45%
Direct Unsubsidized Loan for graduate & professional students - 6%
Direct Plus & Grad Plus Loan for parents, graduate & professional students - 7%
Perkin Loan for undergraduates - 5%