Blizzard warnings in Northwest Minnesota, winter weather advisories across the state

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

As families with high school seniors are finding out, the path to college is paved with misconceptions — especially concerning how to pay for it.


Words that seem to have straightforward meanings — like "cost," "need" and "aid" — turn out to have different meanings in the world of college admissions, and even different meanings between colleges. 


It's confusing and daunting, and it means that some students may settle for a seemingly cheaper school when they might have paid less at a costlier one.


The same article goes on to describe the approach some colleges take when figuring the charges they can apply to a student:

The kicker is that, when a student qualifies for aid, the "aid" might come in the form of student loans. The debt from those loans is doing serious harm to students' quality of life after they graduate. 


"Student loan debt has topped $1 trillion as two-thirds of students graduate with debt," reports 

. "There are nearly 37 million student loan borrowers in the United States currently repaying a student loan, according to the Fed. ... It's not just the young 20-something crowd that's burdened with the debt. Over 60% of that $1 trillion is held by those over 30-years-old, 15% is held by those over 50."


We talk with two authorities about common financial-aid myths and what students and parents need to know.

What college-aid obstacles have you encountered? Leave a comment below.

Education News

Myths, misconceptions and inconsistencies make college affordability a mystery.

What's college cost? How much have you got?

Go Deeper.

Like this?