College students are, on average, $42,000 in debt by the end of a four year associates degree. In total, within the United States, outstanding (unpaid) private student load debt is $144.9 billion dollars as of 2026.
Students need to take high school seriously, especially their freshman year. Freshman year is when academic habits are built, whether those are good or bad could negatively or positively affect the student throughout their high school career.
Similarly, viewing college as a far away goal or something to deal with senior year is a dangerous mindset. Colleges look at the grade point average for all years other than senior year, so it is important to keep the average up by taking school seriously and staying for after hours when necessary. It is all in preparation to give you the tools you need to succeed in college.
When selecting colleges, rather than focusing on a big name school, students should aim for schools that will meet their financial needs, whether that be through scholarships or overall cost. The current competitive college acceptance climate and the influence of social media has students believe that if they do not attend a big name school or a well known university, that they won’t be able to succeed in their academic and career goals. This mindset is causing students to overpay for college and put themselves into crippling debt, when a cheaper and more successful option may have led them to a smaller school.
It is easy to search the cost of admissions for a college and be discouraged by the astronomical price tag, especially with private schools charging significantly more than public universities. Even if you are eligible for in-state tuition, private schools only have one set rate for both in and out of state students.
With this in mind, students fail to take into account merit based scholarships, grants, and other outside awarded scholarships that can significantly bring down the cost of tuition yearly.
Most private schools offer merit based scholarships upon admission. This means that depending on the student’s grade point average and/or SAT score, they automatically get awarded money for tuition. For example, Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania, awards up to $35,000 in merit based scholarships. Typically, the higher the overall cost of a private institution, the higher the merit scholarship can be awarded.
These scholarships are able to be stacked on top of other schools provided, or other additional outside scholarships.
Students need to understand that the initial price of a private institution could be listed at $68,000 a year, but with scholarships and other financial awards, can be brought down to $26,000 a year depending on the college or university the student plans to attend.
Also keeping in mind individual goals are essential in choosing the right college for you. Remove the external pressures of needing to attend a big name school and evaluate the best college for you based on financial needs, career goals, and other personal factors. Unless you are on a sports scholarship and they pay for a large portion, or even all, of your tuition, then it is essential to prioritize your academic and financial needs over wanting to fit in with others who attend big name institutions.
Overall, reducing your financial needs can be done by: completing a FAFSA profile, filling out a CSS profile, applying to school specific and outside scholarships, and studying for the ACT and SAT to maximize test scores. All of this will give you the best chance at decreasing the massive bill from colleges. Make sure to mark when each application is due and schedule enough time to comfortably complete this tedious process of applying to college.
