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When Grandma offers tuition help

Despite losses in their own investments, 65% of grandparents plan to help their grandkids pay for college, reports the College Savings Foundation. That may spell relief for parents squeezed by the economy. But handled incorrectly, such giving could hurt your child's chances for financial aid, says Joe Hurley of savingforcollege.com. Here are the best ways for Grandma to give.

Why don't more women get MBAs?

It's a bit puzzling: Over the past 20 years, as women have made tremendous gains in the business world, the percentage of B-school students who are female has remained at about 30%, or roughly the same now as in the late '80s. (By contrast, female enrollment in law and medical schools has risen over the same time period to about 50%.)

Best back-to-school laptops

If your kid is heading to college this fall, you may be feeling pretty protective of your wallet. But equipping your offspring with one of the cut-rate laptops in those back-to-school fliers is a false economy.

Most lucrative college degrees

Math majors don't always get much respect on college campuses, but fat post-grad wallets should be enough to give them a boost.

Help with student loans for many, but not all

The government's new student loan reform plan gets good grades from graduates with low-paying jobs struggling under a lot of debt. But it's on probation from some borrowers, including married couples and those who will be subject to a new tax liability.

Support your struggling grads

The average college grad comes out owing $22,500, per FinAid.org - a scary sum in good economic times. Now unemployment for BA holders is at its highest since the Labor Department started keeping track in 1992, making that debt burden even more onerous.

The trouble with public colleges

At the 50,000-student University of Florida, only 50 or so undergrads major in geology. It's not exactly an easy subject.

Get a job, ditch your student loans

Many college graduates are struggling with heavy student loan debt and steep monthly payments that limit their professional options. But for some, choosing the career of their dreams could actually lift that burden.

Get smart about borrowing for college

By now, most college-bound high school seniors have accepted an admissions offer and are cruising blissfully toward graduation, summer, and their chosen campus come fall. For parents, on the other hand, the hard work of financing this education is just beginning.

Why a good education is harder to come by

Last month my wife and I got the word: Our 4-year-old is smart, but she's not cut out to join the Masters of the Universe (Kindergarten Division). Lucy's test scores mean she'll be shut out of our city's coveted "gifted" public schools.

Four job strategies for the class of 2009

Yes, it's tough out there. If you're getting ready to graduate, you've no doubt heard, and been thoroughly depressed by, the dire statistics: The National Association for Colleges and Employers has reported that campus hiring is down (after rising annually since 2003) by 22% this year, and many college career counselors say it's worse than that, with on-campus recruiting visits declining by as much as 50%.

Ease the tuition squeeze

You've been waiting for this moment for nearly 18 years: Your baby is almost ready for college. Your finances, not so much. The market's protracted free fall means that your college fund is now worth just a fraction of what you need. Your home's value has no doubt dropped sharply too - no help there. The only thing that keeps going up, you guessed it, is college tuition. So it's goodbye, Dream School U., hello, Central State, right?

Should your kid work in college?

Before you suggest your son or daughter become a barista to help fill the market-size hole in his or her college fund, consider the downsides of taking on a job in school.

Your highly educated dishwashers

When Ed Koc's daughter announced that she was thinking of majoring in music, he gulped.

Grim prospects for new grads

With unemployment rising and employers lowering their hiring expectations, soon-to-be-graduates are facing the worst job market in years.

10 most expensive colleges

A college education gets pricier every year. Here is a list of the 10 most expensive four-year colleges and universities this year, based on the latest data from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

College costs rise

The total cost of going to a private four-year college rose to $34,132 on average for the 2008-09 academic year, according to a report released Wednesday.

Student loan fugitives

Carl, a Florida native now living overseas, is afraid to move back to the United States. That's because he can't afford to pay his student loans.

A letter to my college-bound daughter

Dear Lexie,

Back to school in a credit crunch

Given the recent wave of lay offs, people around the country are contemplating their next step. Hiring has slowed. Job seekers are taking an average 4.5 months today to land a new gig, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So more adults are thinking now is the time to return to the classroom.