The current student loan debt in the United States is $1.7 trillion. However, there are many options to get through college without student loans. Below are five tips to help you graduate college without student loan debt.

Previously, nearly 56% of high school graduates had filled out their FAFSA applications prior to the pandemic. However, once the pandemic hit and all education was forced to be done remotely, the percentage saw a fall to 53%.

One of the nation’s more recognizable financial aid institutions, Naivent, had to forgive the debt of 66,000 borrowers earlier this month. This decision came after a lawsuit with 39 state attorney generals determined that the student loan servicer was forcing a portion of their borrowers into costly repayment plans, which they knew they would not be able to pay off.

Providing financial stability for their children is typically the main priority for parents; especially, as children start approaching a certain age where they can fully understand how to utilize their assets and funds best. However, choosing what type of account would best benefit your child’s future can be challenging.

A Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) is an investment account for minors, allowing adults to give or transfer assets into the underage person’s account to help them save for college or be financially independent.

According to data released by the Common App, undergraduate college applications are up 22%, compared to pre-pandemic rates. However, 60% of college applicants come from affluent communities, while only 5% are from low-income backgrounds.

College is considered a valuable tool to those who want to secure a job with a great salary and benefits. However, the cost of college tuition increases about 8 percent every year, which means it doubles every nine years.

On September 9, Amazon announced they would be covering their employees’ college tuition fees. The CEO of Worldwide Consumer at Amazon, Dave Clark, said the company will invest a total of $1.2 billion by 2025 for more than 750,000 front-line workers.

With college-related expenses increasing each year, many companies are taking action by helping their employees save money. Below you will find four leading companies helping their employees by paying a portion or all of their college tuition.

If you are either an upcoming or current college student, you should constantly be looking at scholarships and grants as your first choice to pay for college instead of setting for student loans. After all, free money over student loan debt wins every time.