Cash for College: Finding Private Loans

College students may earn that degree with lots of studying, but they’ll also have to pay out thousands of dollars to get it. Recent research shows that an average year at an in-state public school costs just over $7,000. Head to a private school and the average tuition jumps to more than $26,000. For those needing cash for college, private loans are one way to go.

GreenNote - If you’ve got a strong network of Facebook friends, Twitter followers and blog readers, you may have the answer for how you’re going to pay for school. GreenNote helps you create a campaign that will harness the power of your social network so that you can achieve your goal of paying cash for college. If you don’t like asking other people for money, don’t worry. GreenNote helps make the process as painless as possible. Plus, according to the company’s Twitter account, you can get a 75% discount on your campaign with the code FALL75. But you must be one of the first 50 people to sign up in order to take advantage of the offer.

People Capital - With People Capital, students can get loans to help fund their education. It’s a peer-to-peer lending format that allows you to set the loan amount, interest rate and type of loan you’re looking for. Then, private lenders bid for your loan. You get money for school and they get the satisfaction of knowing they helped change someone’s future.

Smarty Pig - Whether you’re saving for a flat screen, or a year of nursing school, Smarty Pig can help you reach your specific financial goals. It’s a free online savings account that allows you to share your goals with others in your social network so that they can help you reach your goals, too. You’ll even earn interest on your money and when you’re ready, you can have all of your funds put on a debit card or deposited into your bank account.

By Alison Storm

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