A Family Guide to College Costs: Financial Aid and Paying for College

Family discussion guide
Being up-front about college expenses and expectations is essential—for both students and parents. Think about these topics and discuss them with your family during your early stages of college preparation.

Set cost expectations

What kind of college experience do you expect to have?

Are these costs in line with the expectations of people who might help financially?

How long will it take to graduate? Is this realistic considering the area of study and preferred course load? Be aware that only 28% of students at public universities graduate within four years.²

Who will help pay for college?

How much should the student work to contribute to college expenses?

Parents, be honest about what you can and cannot (or will or will not) pay.

If yours is a "blended" family, include all parents and siblings in this discussion to avoid hard feelings, child support, or "not my responsibility" issues.

Co-signing for private student loans

Is a creditworthy parent, friend, or other relative willing to be a co-signer?

How will the co-signer respond if a payment is not met?

Does the student understand how their actions affect their co-signer?

Loan repayment plans

Will you make payments during school? Learn more about repayment options.

Research starting and average salaries within the student's career choice and consider how repayment fits in.

Astrive Student Loans are private student loans marketed by Union Federal Savings Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Opportunity Lender, and funded by SunTrust Bank. SunTrust does not fund federal loans through the Astrive Student Loan Program. Certain restrictions and limitations may apply. SunTrust Bank reserves the right to change or discontinue these programs without notice. All loan programs may not be available in certain jurisdictions. Astrive is a federally registered trademark of The First Marblehead Corporation, used by Union Federal Savings Bank and SunTrust under a license. SunTrust is a federally registered service mark of SunTrust Banks, Inc.

Union Federal Savings Bank and The First Marblehead Corporation are not affiliates or subsidiaries of SunTrust Bank.

1 U.S. Department of Labor, 2007.

2 Arizona Republic, May 5, 2008.