JobMonkey is not a college financial aid website, but many who visit us are thinking about going back to college. And for good reason: A college degree is an invaluable asset. Studies show that associate degree holders earn an average of $1.6 million over the course of their working life. Bachelor’s degree holders will earn $2.1 million, and doctoral and professional degree holders can make as much as $4.4 million. But just how much will those bumps in salary cost you? The average price tag for a four-year degree is $50,000, with annual tuition rate of inflation of more than 7% a year...

Have you recently decided to go to school? Maybe you’re a first-timer  with your sights set on grad school and then a corporate job. Or maybe you are returning to school after a long break and lots of real-world work experience along the way. Whatever your story, odds are financial aid will be a part of your college tale. The average four-year state school education costs over $50,000.  And it’s going up more than 7% a year, which means that even if you put money aside, you need to be earning a pretty decent interest rate to keep up with that kind of inflation. Then there is ...