Student Finance 101 Blogs

  • Education Policy in the House of Cards

     
    You may have noticed that I don't say that much about education policy on the 'Debt 101' website.
     
    Usually, I just explain how the system works. And suggest ways for students and grads to survive it.
     
    But of course, I'm very concerned about our higher education policy. I care about equal access and quality -- and the destructive effects of loading students up with debt.
     
    That's wrong on so many levels - from moral to macro-economic. 
     




  • Take Your Student Debt to Saskatchewan

     

     

    Hey, unemployed university grads stressed out by debt. Let's connect some dots...

     

    Dot 1. Little item in the news today (Nov 29, 2011) says:

    Germany’s K+S AG, Europe’s largest potash producer, is moving ahead with construction of the $3.2-billion Legacy project in Saskatchewan – the first potash mine to be built in the province in 40 years.

     




  • Hey, what happened?

     

    Some of the changes at Student Finance 101 this week may have you rubbing your eyes. And there are further improvements on the way! We'll roll them out over the next few months.

    Of course, we have a shoestring budget and we're all volunteers, so without our fairy godmother, our help-site won't look as flash as the sites of big-buck organizations. But we're proud to have so much to offer. Above all, we've got great content and our hearts are in the right place. But with the redesign work going on, we plan to serve you even better!




  • A Lesson from Quebec Students

     
    To some of you in other provinces, Quebec students may seem to have it comparatively easy.
     
    For years, they've had Canada's lowest tuition fees.  
     
    Now how did that happen?
     
    Is it because Quebec is the richest province? No. 
     
    Is it because universities in Quebec don't have similar costs to those in, say, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Alberta? No, no and no. 
     




  • Half-Price U? Let's Go, Canada!

     

    Study while you work, to chop the costs? Ok, it's not a new concept, but I'm hearing some creative approaches starting up in the US and UK that Canadian universities and trade schools should take a look at.




  • New Series on Student Loan Bankruptcy

     

    In so deep that you wonder if you can declare bankruptcy on your student loans? 

    For years, the Debt 101 site has had resources on student loan bankruptcy. But for the first time, we've added a Q & A interview to discuss the rules in detail.

    In fact, so much ground got covered when we spoke with well-known bankruptcy trustee Douglas Hoyes, that we decided to create two separate Q & As.