When it comes to getting a college education most people can agree that the costs can be staggering at best. Even the least expensive colleges in the nation can add up over a four or five year period of time creating crippling debt for those who do not qualify for some of the better grant programs of substantial scholarships.

The problem lies in the fact that the parents of most traditional college students make too much money to qualify for the free financial aid that is needs based and very few qualify for the limited number of scholarships that are available to students based on merit. Even among those that qualify competition and fierce and there are no guarantees. Enter the student loan. There are all kinds of student loans and unfortunately with rising costs associated with college attendence and the growing necessity of a college degree for success in this country it is becoming more and more difficult to pay the price that is associated with higher education.

There are three types of loans that are commonly found for college students. They include federal student loans, federal plus loans, and private student loans. Each type of loan has advantages and disadvantages that are unique to that particular loan. Below I will give a little information about each of the loan types and whom they may benefit.

Student loans. There are three different types of student loans: subsidized, unsubsidized, and Perkins loans.

Perkins loans are only available to students who display exceptional financial need. These loans are available at a 5% interest rate and are available to both graduate and undergraduate students. Perkins loans are extended through the university you attend and will be repaid to the university unlike the other types of student loans, which are repaid to the lending agency.

Subsidized student loans are loans in which the interest is deferred until graduation or you cease to be a qualifying student. What this means is that while you are responsible for repaying the loan upon graduation the interest on these loans does not begin to accrue until your begin repayment 6 months after graduation or your cease to be at least a half time student of the university. You must qualify based on your income in order to receive a subsidized student loan. While the needs requirements for these loans isn't as grave as those required in order to receive a Perkins loan you must still qualify.

Unsubsidized student loans do not require qualification on a needs basis. You must be a student and enrolled at least half time in order to receive an unsubsidized student loan. The good news however for those who do not qualify based on needs for other student loan options is that this type of loan is available to all qualifying students regardless of need. The interest on these loans however begins to accrue immediately, which means they can really add up over time.

PLUS loans are loans that are taken out by the parents of students who need the funds in order to cover educational expenses. The maximum amount that can be borrowed is the cost of attendence minus any financial aid awards the student has already received. The repayment on these loans begins 60 days after the loan is dispersed and the repayment period can be up to 10 years.

In order to cover the costs involved in education that go above and beyond what the government recognizes as acceptable college related expenses you can opt to go the route of private student loans rather then relying solely upon federal financial aid for your student loan source. These loans require that you qualify in order to receive them based on your credit rather than your need and must be used for educational purposes only. With these particular loans you really need to make sure you read all the fine print as different companies offer different conditions and different perks. You should really take the time and compare prices and options before taking out a private student loan and this should be done only as a last resort.

Student loans for many can be the difference in attending college and getting the education you are hoping for and not being able to pay the high costs that go along with higher education. For this reason you should treat them with respect and not take them lightly.

A bachelor degree in education, at least in the United States, is one of the most convoluted degrees you can possibly want to get. Unlike other bachelor degrees, where the criteria are pretty much up to the school itself, an education bachelor degree is actually controlled by the state. And to complicate matters, these requirements differ from state to state. So somebody living in New York may have different requirements from somebody living in New Jersey. Therefore, it is imperative that a person thinking about getting a bachelor degree in education carefully examine what those requirements are before jumping in with both feet. In this article we're going to cover some of the possible programs, depending again on where you live.

In some states to get a bachelor degree in education you need to simply take a certain number of education courses depending on what level of education you want to teach. Yes, there are levels. You just don't get a degree and then apply for a job at any school. There is elementary education, which is K through 8. There is secondary education, which is K through 12. In some states, you can get a degree that is only for teaching high school kids. So the first thing you want to decide is what level of school you want to teach. You will then have to take certain education courses to fulfill those requirements.

Then, there are some states that totally throw a monkey wrench into this whole equation. In those states you can't major in education. No, that's not a misprint. You can't get a bachelor degree in education. You have to get a degree in the specialty that you want to teach, such as math or history or science or whatever. What you then do is get what they call a minor in education so that you are certified to teach in a school. If it sounds confusing, imagine how confusing it is for the kids who want to become teachers.

Of course, in addition to the above, there are the other courses that you have to take in order to complete your bachelor degree. This also changes from state to state. For example, in the states where a person can major in education, the courses that the person has to take to fill out the rest of the curriculum are the subjects that the person wants to concentrate on while they are teaching. In other words, if a person wants to be a math teacher, even though they are majoring in education, they now have to take a certain number of math credits to get what they call "certified" by the state. And this changes from state to state. So make sure you find out how many credits you need for that math certification before you make your schedule.

In the states where you major in math and minor in education, that part is taken care of and all that's left is to fill your schedule with the required number of education courses and electives.

Yes, getting a bachelor degree in education is not like any other degree. No wonder teachers are so bum fuzzled.

Michael Russell

Your Independent Bachelor Degree guide.