College is expensive.
Learn about your options to pay for it.
College costs are more than just the price of tuition. Living arrangements, books and meals can raise the sticker price.
Take control and track your expenses using our new Student Budgeting Calculator.
Comparing your college costs and creating a personal budget has never been easier.
Explore our college planning guide to learn the information you need to start off strong.
Financial aid is any money used to pay for college, whether it's earned by you, given to you, or you borrow it through a student loan.
Getting Financial Aid starts with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
FAFSA is the first step in applying for many forms of financial aid. Every student should complete the application prior to entering college and re-apply for financial aid each year enrolled in school.
Submit the application even if you don’t think you would qualify for federal financial aid. You cannot borrow through the Direct or PLUS loan programs without completing the FAFSA.
To complete and submit your FAFSA online, you must create a U.S. Department of Education FSA ID. The FSA ID will serve as your electronic signature. You can fill out the FAFSA online and create a FSA ID atfafsa.gov.
Use the checklist in our college planning guide to help manage FAFSA timelines and requirements
Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC)
studentaid.gov
1-800-4-FED-AID (433-3243)
Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. ET
Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET
FAFSA on the Web
fafsa.gov
The government offers a detailed, question-by-question guide to filling out the paper and online FAFSA
Financial knowledge and help with finances can improve your college experience. Here's a chance for Undergraduate students to get both. Learn more » [1]
In addition to regular interest-bearing savings accounts, college savings plans are available to help you increase how much you can save and contribute towards funding an education.
529 plans allow you to save for higher education for a named beneficiary or prepay future tuition in today's dollars, and can offer significant tax advantages. Parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts or friends can establish them. You can even set up a plan for yourself as long as the plan is designated for education funding needs.
A Coverdell Education Savings Account (CESA), formerly known as an Education IRA, is designed to help you set aside money for the qualified education expenses of your children, grandchildren or any other eligible beneficiaries. You cannot deduct contributions on your tax return, but the earnings are not taxed while they are held in the account.
When your child is ready to head to college, distributions from this account will be tax-free if they're used to pay qualified education expenses. These funds may also be used to save for elementary and secondary education.
A custodial account under the Uniform Gifts to Minor Act (UGMA) and Uniform Transfers to Minor Act (UTMA) is another way to save for your child's future higher education needs. Although not tax advantaged - earnings and withdrawals may be subject to your child's tax rate - custodial accounts allow you to contribute as much as you like and give you maximum control over investment choices and decisions.
Find out if refinancing makes sense for you—click the tabs below to learn more.
One way to help achieve your financial goals is to refinance your student loans. Whether you’re looking for the convenience of a single monthly payment or want to save money over the life of your student loan(s), PNC can help[2].
The PNC Education Refinance Loan (PERL) is specifically designed for refinancing student loans. To learn more about the options available to meet your unique needs, watch our series of videos on student loan refinancing.
Consolidating your student loans can make managing your student debt simpler with only one service provider and one monthly payment
Select the repayment term that best meets your financial goals: shorten your term to reduce total paid or extend your term to lower monthly payments.
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Scholarship: Restrictions and conditions apply. For detailed information, view the scholarship disclosure and the official sweepstakes rules.
Refinancing: Refinancing at a longer repayment term may lower your loan payments, but may also increase the total interest paid over the life of the loan. Refinancing at a shorter repayment term may increase your loan payments, but may lower the total interest paid over the life of the loan. For example, if you have a 15-year loan that matures in 10 years and you refinance for another 15 years at a lower rate, your payments will be lower but you will pay interest for an additional 5 years. Contact us to discuss the option that best meets your needs.
You are encouraged to explore all scholarship, grant and federal borrowing options before applying for a private loan. PNC Solution Loans and PNC Education Refinance Loans are subject to credit approval. Certain restrictions and conditions apply.
PNC does not provide accounting, tax or legal advice. Financial literacy content and interactive calculators are provided for educational, informational and illustrative purposes only. The utilization of calculators and any results displayed do not represent an offer or solicitation for a product or service by PNC Bank or its affiliates. PNC does not guarantee the accuracy or applicability of these resources to your circumstances. Please consult a financial, tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation.
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