Getting into college is one giant hurdle to clear, and paying for it is quite another. This book breaks down the expenses associated with higher education, the various payment options available for students, including student loans, need-based scholarships, and merit-based scholarships, and what other avenues may exist for families to ensure that costs associated with tuition, room, and board stay reasonable. Concerns about "paying off" student loans, interest rates, and timelines are also addressed in this informative collection.

Introduction -- Brown proposes more higher ed funding, but phasing out middle class scholarships / Larry Gordon -- Should university education be free / Tejvan Pettinger -- To Fee or Not to Fee? (And Related Questions) / Charles M. Gray, Sharon M. Oster and Charles Weinberg -- Student loans and college quality: Effects on borrowers and the economy / Sandra Black, Amy Filipek, Jason Furman, Laura Giuliano, and Ayushi Narayan -- The Student Debt Crisis / Anne Johnson, Tobin Van Ostern, and Abraham White -- Is The Student Loan Crisis Fact Or Fiction? / Claudio Sanchez -- US: Investigation exposes extensive corruption in student loan dealings / Naomi Spencer -- University fees in historical perspective / Robert Anderson -- How the U.S. Government Could End the Student Debt Crisis Today / Rael Carrillo -- Who Has a Stake in Obama's Free Community-College Plan? / Eric Kelderman and Scott Carlson -- Why Free College Tuition is a Bad Idea / Bob Luebke -- Degrees of value: Evaluating the return on the college investment / A. Gillen, J. Slingo, and M. Zatynski -- Student loans for people with disabilities are a good investment, but many still fall through the cracks unnecessarily / Sarah Trick -- Appendix -- What You Should Know About Student Loans -- What You Should Do About Student Loans -- Organizations to Contact -- Bibliography -- Index. Picture Credits.