Expert Tips on Funding A College Education

Parents, brace your selves for these figures. A current year at the University of Illinois in downstate Champaign costs between $24,500 and $29,000.

And that’s a public university.

Tuition at private colleges and universities, like Augustana College in Rock Island, can cost upwards of $35,000 to $40,000 a year.

If you are a parent who is left scratching their head over how you’ll ever come up with more than $100,000 for a college education, Ben Kaplan has some helpful tips.

Kaplan, author of “How To Go To College Almost for Free,” is an expert on financing a college education. The Harvard graduate received $90,000 in scholarships to go to college.

He’s sharing his knowledge at a free scholarship and financial aid presentation on Tuesday, March 8, at Huntley High School, 13719 Harmony Road, Huntley. Kaplan will appear from 8-9pm at the Performing Arts Center. Space is limited for Tuesday’s presentation. To register for a seat, go to Kaplan’s website.

Huntley High School counselor Karen Miller helped bring Kaplan to the school. She attended one of his seminars a few years ago and uses his suggestions for her students as well as personally.

Miller has a son who’s a senior and her family is looking for ways to finance college. Her son has already received offers for scholarships at four schools, but Miller’s contribution would still be around $15,000 a year, she said.

She has been helping her son find scholarships on the websites Kaplan suggests. “It seems like a lot of work and it does take time but “you just have to be careful and diligent, that’s what it comes down to,” she said.

Kaplan’s presentation should resonate with Huntley High parents since 85 percent of the senior class will go onto college. Forty percent will head to four-year colleges or universities while 45 percent will go off to two-year colleges, Miller said.

Both parents and students will benefit from the free presentation, Miller said. Kaplan presents information in a way everyone can relate to, she said.

“He’s funny and personable,” she said. “It’s very interesting, he doesn’t give you inform you don’t think you can’t use. It’s all very real world applicable, the very things we need to know as parents.”

Kaplan has a national tour called City of College Dreams and has appeared on 2,000 television and radio shows including “Oprah” and “Good Morning America.” He speaks to 30,000 families at 100 schools worldwide.

He always customizes his presentations which includes the following list of possible topics:

*How to find scholarships online

*How to develop a winning scholarship game plan

*How to "paint a portrait" in a scholarship application

*How to master the scholarship essay

*How to earn a "preferential financial aid package"

*How to manage family finances for more grant aid

*How to slash student loans

*How to best save for college without much time left