financial advice & planning

Three Ways to Generate Passive Income for Students

By Eugene KalnykLast updated on March 25, 2025

College life is not always a super affordable one, in fact, it is one of the more taxing periods of time in a young adult’s life. Tuition, housing, expenses, additional activities, the costs keep piling up and piling up. Because of the high tuition prices and general expenses, banks have been offering student loans to …

myths

More Myths About Student Loan Refinance And Consolidation

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on February 25, 2025

When looking for ways to manage your loan repayment you will come across the terms ‘refinancing’ and ‘consolidation’. While both of these are offer practical alternatives to managing your student loans, they may not always be the best option for all borrowers. Moreover, there are several myths out about student loan refinance and consolidation that …

scholarship search & applications

Why You Should Send a “Thank You” Note After a Scholarship Interview

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on February 26, 2025

You might already send thank you notes after your birthday, Christmas, and other special occasions, but you may have never realized it’s a good idea for after scholarship interviews as well. It’s actually a good habit to get into, as it can also be helpful for college and job interviews later on. These are just …

student loans

FAQS About Student Loan Repayment Plans

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on March 25, 2025

There are plenty of questions about student loans, and plenty more questions about how to pay them off. So we’ve gathered the most common questions people ask about student loan repayment plans and put it into an FAQ list. What is a standard student loan repayment plan? A standard student loan repayment plan is the …

scholarships

Chatting With Scholarship Winner Phuongthao Hoang!

By Allison WignallLast updated on December 22, 2022

I got the chance to speak with Phuongthao Hoang—winner of the first-ever $2,500 College Raptor scholarship—about her personal college prep journey! She hopes by sharing her story, she will help other students going through the college search and prep process. Here’s what she had to say: Tell us a little about yourself! My name is …

student loans

First-Time Student Loan Borrower Mistakes To Avoid

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on March 6, 2025

While some mistakes can simply be brushed off as a part of the learning process, mistakes that you make when borrowing money can turn out to be very expensive. Far better to spend some time learning about the do’s and don’ts for the first-time student loan borrower BEFORE taking any loan instead than paying for …

myths

10 Common Scholarship Myths

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on November 14, 2023

Believing one or more of the many prevailing scholarship myths can stop you from applying for free money that you can use to pay for college. Scholarships are the most well-known form of financial aid, and for good reason: scholarships and grants make up about 57% of all aid awarded each year. But just because they’re well-known …

student loans

Pros and Cons of Getting Student Loans Through Credit Unions

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on March 3, 2025

You’ve received your FAFSA offers, but it may be possible that you need a bit more money to cover your college expenses. Private loans can be a good route for some people. However, not only banks offer loans; Credit unions do as well. Here are some pros and cons of getting your student loans through …

student loans

How First-Time Student Loan Borrowers Can Prepare For The Loan Process

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on March 24, 2025

Taking a loan can be a scary prospect for anybody, and even more so for first-time student borrowers. There are so many challenging terms to understand and a long list of things to be careful about when borrowing money. Not taking the time to understand how loans work and what the different terms mean can …

questions & answers

What is a Master Promissory Note?

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on March 6, 2025

When you take out any loan, the lender will ask you to sign a promissory note stating that you agree to the terms and conditions of the loan, and that you promise to repay the loan with interest within the agreed time. This is no casual note. A promissory note is a legally binding contract …