Money Management

Many students make very real investments in their own education. Oftentimes, this means borrowing student loans and making personal sacrifices to keep expenses at a minimum. We know, however, that student loans can be a source of anxiety, especially since this is typically the first type of debt that you may have taken on.

This page is meant to provide Lewis & Clark students and recent alumni with a resource for basic information on personal finance, focusing specifically on student loan repayment. We hope that gaining a clearer understanding of how to successfully manage your finances and deal with your debt will diminish the stress of transitioning from an LC student to an LC alum.

Loan Repayment

• Exit packets
• What to do if you can’t pay your student loan bills
• Strategic repayment
• Consolidation
• Loan forgiveness programs

Other Resources

National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) - A complete listing of your federal student loans can be obtained through NSLDS, the U.S. Department of Education’s central database for student aid.

Project on Student Debt - An initiative of the Institute for College Access & Success, Project on Student Debt is a nonprofit independent research and policy organization dedicated to making college more available and affordable to people of all backgrounds.

NELA: Manage Your Money - “Getting a good handle on your money is a way of empowering yourself to accomplish your life’s goals. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring debt and living beyond your means — especially while you’re in school.”

ECMC: Prepare to Pay - Through this site, ECMC offers “tools and information to help you manage student loan payments.”

FinAid.org - This is a fairly comprehensive resource on financial aid matters, featuring many useful online calculators, including ones for loan repayment.

AnnualCreditReport.com - Request your free credit report here. The information provided on this report is what lenders use to determine your creditworthiness. You should also use this report to detect fraudulent or incorrect information on your record!

360 Degrees of Financial Literacy - Provided by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, this is a national volunteer effort to help Americans understand their personal finances through all stages of life.

Mint.com - “Mint brings all your financial accounts together online, automatically categorizes your transactions, lets you set budgets and helps you achieve your savings goals - for free.”

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As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions! We’re not experts on personal finance, but we’ll certainly do our best to help you.