Let me make that “research” part of your weekend plan a little easier by giving you a lead on three great scholarship opportunities with upcoming deadlines.

1. Regional Undergraduate Scholarships, Engineering: $3,000
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers is offering a number of regional scholarships to undergraduate applicants with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a class standing of at least the top 30%. For students living in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, there is a one-year $3,000 scholarship for an undergrad studying engineering or architecture. There is a second $3,000 scholarship annually to a full-time undergraduate engineering student enrolled in an accredited college or university in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma or Mexico. The application deadline is December 1, 2009.

2. American Ranch Horse Association Scholarship, $500

The American Ranch Horse Association is offering a $500 academic-based scholarship for the 2010-2011 school year to its youth members. Applicants must be current ARHA members, in good standing. Applicants must submit current school transcripts, a letter of recommendation from their principal, advisor or faculty member, a second letter of recommendation a club officer or board member of the local ARHA club; and a brief essay indicating the importance of higher education, career goals and scholarship need. The application deadline is December 31, 2009.

3. Amtrak Travel Scholarship: $750

The United Negro College Fund has teamed up with Amtrak to provide a $ 750 to undergraduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who attend one of two dozen school. (Click the link above for a full listing of the schools, including most Historically Black Colleges and Universities.)

The scholarship will cover the cost of travel, by Amtrak, anywhere in the United States within a one-year period, up to $750. What a great way to get to school next year! The application deadline is November 20, 2009.

If you want to learn more about college scholarships, come visit Financial Aid Finder’s college student scholarship section. We’ve got how-to articles on the scholarship application process, scholarship essays, scholarship search engines, and weird & unusual scholarships.

Good luck with your scholarship applications this week! 

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, there are 58 private colleges charging at least $50K for tuition, fees, room and board — up from “just” five colleges charging that much last year. Top of the list is the all-female Sarah Lawrence College, at $55,788/year.

To put that price tag in perspective, I liked this quote from the article:

Before the 1980s … people at private colleges had a rule of thumb: A year of private education should cost about the same as a new Chevrolet.

“You don’t have to pay $50,000 for a new Chevy these days,” Mr. Breneman says. “So somewhere in there we went off onto a different path.”

(In fact, I just did some Googling and it looks like a new Chevy Impala will cost you around $25k.)

Obviously the two-Chevy-cost is pricing a number of families out of private education. So what about public universities? Turns out they are raising their tuition rates even faster. The average in-state, four-year college degree now costs just under $16k/year, an increase of 5.9% over last year. Private schools, on average, raised their rates “just” 4.3%.

Also, bear in mind that many students at private schools receive grants and scholarships — an average of $13K/year at the 36 most expensive private schools in America, which knocks the average price tag down to $36,000/year (still more than twice the cost of an in-state college). In fact, one private college administrator said that of this year’s incoming freshmen class, two-thirds received financial aid, with an average grant of $30,000.

The Chronicle also interviewed a number of higher ed administrators, who weighed in on whether or not the ceiling has been reached — and what the high costs of private education mean to today’s students. While that $50K is obviously a benchmark of sorts, I’m thinking that for families earning the average yearly income — or even twice that — $50,000 is no less affordable than $45,000 or even $40,000. What do you think? How do these rising private school costs impact your decisions about college?

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Our Financial Aid writers post new information about student financial aid all the time. A list of their most recent postings can be found below.  Our financial aid postings are also categorized above in the top navigation by category.

Don’t miss out on important posts on topics ranging from college scholarships to college loan applications. To the right you can also view the student financial aid articles archive by month and get caught up.

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Originally, the plan let investors withdraw their funds, plus earnings, even if the designated beneficiary wasn’t going to college in Texas. Now, however, the state of Texas is amending that benefit: If investors don’t use their plan to pay for school in Texas, they get only the value of their original investment, without any of the interest.

What gives? Apparently, the longhorn plan is running in the red, to the tune of almost $2 billion by 2030. The Texas Legislature deregulated tuition rates in 2003, and that’s when tuition started to skyrocket — much faster than the fund could keep up with. Anticipating this problem, the pre-paid tuition fund was closed to new enrollees in 2003. But the fast-paced rate of tuition inflation has averaged 8.9% a year, while return on investment has been just 4.4%.

Texas is giving families until the end of November to withdraw funds with the interest still attached; after that date, the policy will be changed. While this particular crisis is unique to Texas, I thought the article had national value for anyone investing in — or considering investing in — a 529 pre-paid tuition plan.

First off, as Savingforcollege.com founder Joe Hurley says in this article, the Texas situation is setting a precedent:

This is the first time I can recall that a 529 plan has gone back on its promises in a big way.

More so, however, the pre-paid short-fall is a good opportunity for us to revisit the difference between the two types of 529 Plans.

There are 529 pre-paid tuition plans, like this one in Texas, which allow parents to buy x number of future semesters of tuition at the in-state university at today’s cost.

Then there are 529 college savings plans, which are an investment vehicle for saving money for future college expenses. Your return on a college savings plans is dependent on the type of investment vehicle you choose and how the market does.

To learn more about 529 Plans, check out some of these articles on the Financial Aid Finder:

• Understanding College Savings Plans

• Are 529 Plans still a good plan?

• Choosing a 529 Plan that’s right for your family

As you know by now, every Friday I make your scholarship search a little bit easier by posting about three great opportunities with upcoming deadlines. This week, I have three essay competitions, all of which are open exclusively to high school students. Even if you are just a freshmen or sophomore in high school, winning an essay competition is a great way to get a head start on paying for college.

To learn more about college scholarships, please visit the Financial Aid Finder’s scholarship section, with how-to articles on everything from completing the scholarship application process to writing your scholarship essays.

1. The Valley Humanities Review High School Scholarship Contest: $500

The Valley Humanities Review is seeking 3,000 to 6,000-word essays from high school students demonstrating quality, originality and intellectual rigor. First prize is $500 and publication in the Spring 2010 Issue. All submissions must adhere to Chicago style and be error-free. Click on the above link for more information, including where to send your essay. The application deadline is December 15.

2. National Society of High School Scholars: $1000 – $5000

The National Society of High School Scholars is sponsoring two scholarships exclusively for its members. Membership requires a minimum GPA of 3.5 and nomination from a teacher at your high school. (If you think you qualify and haven’t been nominated, you may contact the NSHSS directly to inquire about an invitation.) The Claes Nobel Academic Scholarships award $5,000 and the National Scholar Awards are $1,000. The application deadline for both is November 30, 2009.

3. Freedom in Academia Essay Contest: $5,000

FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, is sponsoring the second annual “Freedom in Academia” essay contest. The competition is open to high school seniors planning to attend college in the fall of 2010. Applicants must write a 700 – 1,200-word essay addressing the following question:

Why are free speech rights crucial to higher education and how do infringements on these rights betray the purpose of a university education?

The essay should cite examples from videos on the FIRE website describing how Valdosta State and the University of Delaware violated the First Amendment rights of their students. The first-place winner receives $5,000; two second-place winners each receive $2,500, and five runners-up each receive $1,000. The application deadline is November 6, 2009.

Good luck with your scholarship applications this week!

Federal student loans have lower interest rates, more favorable terms (such as income-based loan repayment), don’t require a co-signer, and freeze your repayments and interest while you’re in school. All these factors, coupled with the instability of the private loan market starting last fall, make federal student loans a much better option than private student loans for students.

Congress concurs, which is why a House committee recently took up a bill to more closely regulate private student loans within its overhaul of banking regulations. If approved, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009 would create a new centralized federal agency to oversee various forms of consumer credit, including private student loans, credit cards and mortgages.

Meanwhile, the College Board issued its Trends in Student Aid Report last week, which shows that the amount of private student loans taken out in 2007-2008 dropped by more than 50 percent from the previous year. Last year, students privately borrowed $11 billion — representing just 13% of the total student loan market for that year. In 2006-2007, $22.8 billion was borrowed, or 25% of the total market.

Did everyone suddenly realize that federal loans were a better deal? Maybe, but there not necessarily, say the experts. There were a variety of factors that led to the scale-back, including:

• Tightening up of the financial markets — there are now fewer private lenders, with tighter restrictions on eligible borrowers

• More families are qualifying for federal student loans now, with so many out-of-work parents

• Congress increased the federal limits on federal student loans from $23K to $31K for ‘dependent’ undergrads last year — more money to borrow federally, making private loans less necessary

Are you seeing this trend in your family? Do you prefer federal student loans to private student loans?

How has your week been? Have you made any progress on your college scholarship applications? As the weather turns colder we are heading into prime scholarship deadline season, so be sure to clear a few hours every week to work on your applications. After all, the best way to pay for college is with some free money, right?!

This week, I have three great scholarship opportunities for you, including two essay competitions plus a $15,000 MVS (Most Valuable Student) competition from the Elks National Foundation. I hope you find something here than will help you to pay for college!

To learn more about college scholarships, please visit the Financial Aid Finder’s scholarship section, with practical articles on everything from completing the scholarship application process to writing your scholarship essays.

1. Most Valuable Student Competition: Up to $60,000 ($15,000 per year for 4 years)

The Elks National Foundation will award 500 four-year scholarships to the highest-rated applicants in its 2010 competition. The competition, which judges scholarship, leadership and financial need, is open to any high school senior who is a U.S. citizen and planning to enroll full time in an accredited college or university for the fall of 2010. Male and female students compete separately. Membership in the Elks is not required. Applicants will first be judged by local, district and then state committees. National finalists will be notified by February 1st, at which point they must submit a secondary application, including an essay and their student aid report. The 500 national winners will be notified by April 1, 2010. Scholarships will range from $1,000 to $15,000 per year for four years, based on financial need. The first-round application deadline is November 2, 2009. Applications must be submitted to the Lodge closest to your permanent address.

2. The NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund Essay Contest: Up to $1,000

The NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund (NRACRDF) is sponsoring its annual essay contest celebrating the Second Amendment as an integral part of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This year’s theme is:

The Second Amendment to the Constitution: Why it is important to our nation.

Applicants must submit an essay of approximately 1,000 words, which will be judged on originality, scholarship (including works cited) and presentation (including grammar and spelling). A statement from a teacher or parent declaring that the paper is your original work must be included as well. The competition is open to students in K-12th grades, although essays will be judged in two categories: Senior (10th – 12th grade) and Junior (9th grade and below). Each category will award separate prizes. First prize is a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bonds. Second prize is $600, 3rd prize is $2000 and Honorable Mention receives $100. Essays must be sent to the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fun in Fairfax, VA (click the above link for address and additional information). The entry deadline is December 1, 2009.

3. Culture of Enterprise Project Essay Contest: Up to $10,000

The Culture of Enterprise Project is sponsoring its annual international student essay on the topic

Can Character and Communities Survive in an Age of Globalization?

Intended to encourage reflection on the relationship between free enterprise and cultural mores, this top dollar contest awards a $10,000 scholarship to the first place winner.  Essays must be between 2,500 and 3,000 and must be double spaced. Eligible applicants must be full-time undergraduate students enrolled at an accredited U.S. college or university. The application deadline is December 31, 2009.

Good luck with your scholarship applications this week!

A group of 15 senators is introducing a new bill to change this, providing immediate student loan debt relief to active-duty soldiers and members of the National Guard. According to a blog post from Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), the bill

would prohibit interest from accruing on direct student loans, regardless of the date of origination, for all service members on active duty for up to 60 months. This would save the average service member between $1,183 and $1,479 over the course of a 12- to 15-month activation period.

Between this and the delays with tuition benefits from the new GI Bill, I am feeling rather frustrated for our nation’s soldiers and veterans. Are you a member of the military struggling with paying for your college tuition or your student loan payments? What do you think of the new Spector-sponsored bill?

Then you’re in the right place! There is no more productive way to spend your weekend than applying for a handful of scholarships.

I recently read that earning money for college through scholarships is a numbers game — the more you apply to, the better chance you have to win. Will you will all? No way! Half? Nope! But you may win 5 or even 10% of the scholarships you apply to, if you pick your applications strategically. Look for opportunities where you meet *all* of the qualifications — and be sure you have your A-game on every time you sit down to write an essay!

Back to business. This week, I have three great scholarship opportunities for you, including a $5,000 essay contest on Memorial Day (for junior and senior high school students); a $5,000 biomedical science award; and a $10,000 scholarship for minority students.

1. Americanism Essay Contest For Grades 7 – 12: $5,000

The FRA National Committee on Americanism-Patriotism is sponsoring its annual Americanism Essay Contest, based on the theme What Memorial Day Means to Me. The grand prize winner will earn a $10,000 U.S. Savings bond. First, second, and third place winners will receive $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 Savings Bonds, respectively. The contest is open to all students grades 7 through 12, including home schoolers, whose entry is sponsored by an FRA member in good standing. Submit your essay to your nearest FRA branch (click the link above to find the location nearest you). The application deadline is December 1, 2009.

2. Dr. Daniell Biomedical Science Award: $5,000

The Golden Key’s Biomedical Science Award aims to recognize members who are leading to careers in human or veterinary medicine, dentistry, biomedical research or other related professions. Eligible candidates must be undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students currently enrolled or planning to enroll the following year in a degree-granting program. The application committee is seeking candidates with excellent academic achievement, demonstrated leadership qualities, and scholarly basic or applied research. You must submit a written statement of no more than five pages, on your personal and professional goals over the next decade, along with the persons and events that have influenced your decision. A personal resume, letter of recommendation, and current copy of your transcript are also required. The application deadline is November 1, 2009.

3. The Vanguard Minority Scholarship Program: $10,000 (College Juniors)

The Vanguard investment company is sponsoring up to ten (10) $10,000 scholarship for minority students who will be entering their senior year of college in the fall of 2010.

Qualified applicants must be enrolled full-time in an accredited four-year college of university in the United States, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0, and be studying business, finance, economics, IT or the liberal arts (i.e. not natural science or engineering). The scholarship committee is seeking candidates with a strong academic record, demonstrated leadership in school and community activities, work experience, and unusual personal or family circumstances. A strong personal statement and resume is also essential. Winning checks are made payable to the students’ school. The application deadline is November 30, 2009.

I hope you find something here than can help you pay for college!

To learn more about college scholarships, visit Financial Aid Finder’s scholarship search section and Scholarships Information pages. We have helpful articles on everything from finding unusual scholarships to being the candidate a scholarship committee wants.

There are nine main categories, such as green building, food & recycling, student involvement, and transportation, by which schools are rated.  A compilation of these nine ratings is calculated and then each school is assigned a final grade.

My quick perusal of the website shows grades ranging from D- to A-. I have yet to find an A or an A+ yet…I guess when it comes to green, there’s always a little room for improvement.

Check out you campus and then leave me a comment to let us know how it ranks. I’ll start. My school (Tufts University) earned a B, which seems pretty standard for the other Boston universities I looked up (Brandeis, BC and BU.) The one exception was Harvard, which earned an A-. So how about your school?