american opportunities

This could be the easiest time to get into a top American university. It may also be the cheapest, if they lower their rates. But forget about getting financial aid.

Paying for College Without the Home Equity Option
By M. P. DUNLEAVEY
Published: April 19, 2008
NYTimes

While the questions are not new, they are particularly difficult to answer in this economically tumultuous year. Traditional and even nontraditional sources of college financing are suddenly in question. Dozens of companies that once provided billions of dollars in student loans have left the market. Other banks are tightening their standards, making student loans harder to get.

On top of which, the continued turmoil in real estate has meant that home equity — a source of security for many families and a fallback for college funds for some of them — is not as easy, or in some cases impossible, to tap.