Saving for College

Saving for college is just as important a process as choosing your major and deciding which college to attend. Being financially prepared for college -- and during college --  can better help you to focus on your educational goals.

It is never to early to start saving for college and there are a lot of resources available to help you develop strong money-saving strategies and budgeting skills.

Start with resources available in your own community:

• Your church - many churches offer financial literacy and budgeting classes for their members/parishioners.
• Your high school - ask your high school counselor about any budgeting workshops or personal finance classes that may be offered.
• Your local community college's community education department - some community colleges offer budgeting and money-saving strategy workshops throughout the year.
• Your bank - ask your bank about budgeting and savings resources they might have available for their customers.

There are also a lot of online budgeting and money-saving resources. A good place to start is with the Federal Student Aid website of the U.S. Department of Education. 

• Budgeting - https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/budgeting
• Creating Your Budget - https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/budgeting/creating-your-budget
• Budgeting Tips - https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/budgeting/creating-your-budget
• Checklists for Academic and Financial Preparation - https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/checklists