Financial literacy is an essential part of planning and paying for your education. Here you will find a few basic tips and resources to assist you in making informed decisions about managing your finances.
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Get Organized - Create a filing system that organizes your bills, contracts, passwords, and deadlines. These records will help you create a budget, file taxes, and resolve financial disputes. Also, having saved copies of your W2s and filed taxes will help you file your yearly FAFSA.
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Make a Budget - Utilize our Estimated One Term Budget worksheet to help you figure out how to pay for college.
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Know Your Aid Limits - Work closely with your academic advisor to create a detailed plan for degree completion. Once that plan is in place, evaluate the aid you are receiving to determine how many years you may be eligible to receive each type of fund. Keep in mind that your eligibility can change each year based on your FAFSA, funding availability, aid limits, Satisfactory Academic Progress, and other factors.
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Ask for Help: The Office of Financial Aid at OSU is here to answer any questions you might have about paying for college. Also, current on-campus students at OSU can find additional assistance for essential items like food, housing, and textbooks through the Basic Needs Center.
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Make Smart Choices About Loan Debt - Debt management and repayment planning are complex issues with long-lasting repercussions. Luckily there are a wealth of resources to help you make sound decisions:
Additional Financial Literacy and Student Loan Information Resources
CAFE: The Oregon State University Center for Advancing Financial Education (CAFE), housed in the College of Business, provides research-based financial literacy services and support to students at OSU and to communities across the state through workshops, self-study modules, coursework, and one-on-one advising.
Cash Course: We encourage you to visit our Financial Literacy partner, to work on budgeting and planning for your future. OSU provides access to this resource in order to assist our students in establishing strong and sensible financial practices that will benefit them in their lives during and after college.
Free Credit Report: Students should monitor their credit by requesting a free annual credit report. This site has information on how to obtain your credit report and what to do in the case of inaccurate information.
www.studentaid.gov: The all-in-one Federal Student Aid website where you may view a summary of your federal student loans, find contact information about your loan servicer, and view your FAFSA.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness: If you plan to work in a public service or non-profit field you may be eligible to have your remaining loan debt forgiven after 10 years in repayment. If you are a full-time OSU employee, please view the HR student loan forgiveness webpage for additional information.
Federal Student Loan Repayment Plans: After your graduate, there are multiple repayment options available for your federal student loans. You can review the currently available payment plans on the FSA website.