As parents, we want to set up our kids for success. Starting life with financially and emotionally crippling college debt does not accomplish this goal! “More than two-thirds of graduates of the class of 2018 entered the labor market with an average of $29,800 in student loan debt. Many may end up in jobs that will never pay enough to allow them to become debt-free” (https://www.salon.com/2019/06/01/killer-loans-college-debt-triggers-depression-and-suicide_partner/).

College debt is the worst way to fund college. Good News! College debt is completely avoidable.

Beyond (or in addition to) the obvious solution of working and saving money to pay for college, you can greatly reduce the cost of college by taking wise action while in high school.

Lisa Marker-Robbins, Cincinnati’s go-to Professional Advisor of college-bound students, sat down with Tammy Treft, the Executive Director of the top-performing homeschool extension program in Cincinnati and Jacksonville, and shared from her 20-years-experience and data-informed advice on how to avoid costly mistakes in paying for college.

(Learning Assistance and Enrichment Program (LEAP): https://leaprogram.com; Providence Extension Program (PEP): www.pep1.org)

This article is a summary of the main points from their interview. You can watch the full interview (in COVID-19-era quality home video Zoom production we’re all used to by now) here:

When applying for college, these TOP TWO CRITERIA help your student stand out among the rest:

Academically rigorous high school course grades—Don’t take Easy Street by getting good grades in unchallenging courses; colleges see right through that!
ACT/SAT test scores

These criteria might get you into your top college, but don’t fall for the false assumption that good grades and high ACT/SAT scores will automatically win high scholarships. Many families are misguided about how college funding works, and face a rude awakening when it’s too late.

When paying for college, avoid making these TOP FOUR COSTLY MISTAKES:

1) Poorly constructed college list

Not all colleges offer substantial scholarships.
Sometimes an out-of-state or private college offers merit scholarships that make them more affordable than your popular state school.

CORRECTION: Think beyond campus beauty, locally popular colleges, or parent alma maters, and look at a college’s scholarship award programs instead. https://leaprogram.com

2) Reliance on Advanced Placement or College Credit Plus/Dual Enrollment

An increasing numbers of colleges do not accept AP credit at all.
Many colleges that do accept AP credit apply it only as an elective. The student is still required to take the course at the college to graduate. This means you do not save money on courses, but only graduate with extraneous credits.
Out-of-state or private colleges are not required to accept and often do not accept CCP credit at all. Ohio state colleges are required to accept the credit, but, like the AP credit, still require the student to take the more rigorous course at their institution to graduate. It is very rare that a student shaves off a year of college through CCP or Dual Enrollment.

CORRECTION: Invest your time in high school in the best education you can find that will give you knowledge and skills to secure a substantial scholarship instead. Students find out too late that they do not get ahead in respect to time, knowledge or finances, rather are behind in all three. www.pep1.org

3) Experiment by switching college majors while at college

Changing majors wastes time and money. The vast majority of college students change their major twice or more, delaying graduation.
Most students then must enroll into a 5th year of college which highly increases the sticker price of college, negating any advanced credit or scholarship money they may have attained.

CORRECTION: Invest in personality and strength-finding tests to guide you into a major with which you will be happy. Consider a gap year to explore apprenticing in various careers to find out what it is like in the real world and if it’s a good fit for you. (You may discover the job you love and will succeed in does not require a college degree at all.) https://leaprogram.com

4) Opting out of academically rigorous courses in the senior year of high school

The GPA used at the end of Junior year is often used when applying for college; what people tend to forget is that you must list the courses you will take your senior year on college applications. Continuing to pursue rigor through the senior year makes a difference in whether you get into the college or not. When they see rigor suddenly drop off, even if it is in the form of often easier CCP or Dual Enrollment courses, that gives colleges a reason to reject your application or lessen scholarship opportunities.
Continuing rigor through the senior year better prepares a student to succeed in college. Most scholarships are renewable if a certain GPA is maintained. If a student didn’t come to college academically prepared to maintain their scholarship beyond the freshman year, that’s painful!

CORRECTION: Continuing with a rigorous program can be a game changer! Without much aid, plan on spending at least $100,000 on public college. For example, the latest data for those who study through the Senior Year (Core F) at Providence Extension Program (PEP) and apply for merit scholarships, they are awarded an average of $14,000/year. Renewed each year, this saves families $56,000! That’s on average; many diligent students have received well above $100,000. Perseverance pays! www.pep1.org

Final consideration:

After examining their upper high school curriculum, Lisa Marker-Robbins recommends PEP as a good option for those who value classical education integrated with biblical worldview and desire to homeschool with some outside help. Perhaps of greater value to many Christian parents than financial benefit is the final biblical and spiritual preparation through the senior year they give their children before they head out of the home. www.pep1.org