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When you are considering the cost of a college education, you have to remember that the costs do not just include the cost of tuition at school. You will also have to take into account accommodation, books, travel and of course, cost of living expenses.

Although estimates vary, in the academic year 2006 -2007 the average cost PER YEAR of a four year degree course at a public university is $15, 608, while attending a private university will incur costs of $33, 642. These costs include tuition and room and board. If an inflation rate of 5% per annum is assumed, which is very low, then if your or your child wants to attend a university in the year 2021, then the costs per year rise to $32,447 and $69,940 respectively for a public and private university.

Remember that these projected costs are only for an ordinary degree course. If you intend to do post-graduate studies, then the costs will increase dramatically.

At the moment, Federal financial aid packages are available to students. These include Pell and Stafford loans for students, and PLUS loans that can be made to the parents of students. Although these may be sufficient to pay for the cost of the university education, it makes good sense to seek out additional sources.

There are several federally managed foundations which can provide grants and scholarships to students. Some of them require the students to follow a particular career upon graduating from school, or to take up employment in an area of the country where there is a shortage of suitably qualified job applicants.

Because there is such a wide range of grants and scholarships available, it would be prudent to seek the services of one of the several specialized companies who know where and how to apply for them. It may well be that some grants are only available to a particular group of people and these experts will be able to guide you through the intricacies of them all.

The school itself may well have private funds available to assist students to complete their education. You should contact the school's financial aid office in plenty of time to see what they might have available to assist. You should not forget to apply early for such extra funding to pay for the cost of the university education as these funds will be limited and will probably be paid out on a first come, first served basis.