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When it comes to the cost of a college education, some students are getting more than they bargained for.
A new survey from Ascent Student Loans, a student loan provider, found that 47 percent of students are shelling out more money for their education than they expected and over 60 percent are responsible for more than half of their total education costs.
At the same time, 51 percent of students said they do not believe the value of their education is keeping pace with what they are paying.
Those sentiments come as many students run into some unpleasant surprises as they pursue their degrees, according to Ken Ruggiero, chairman and CEO of Goal Structured Solutions, the administrator of Ascent Student Loans.
One common situation is when parents are not able to co-sign a loan, Ruggiero said.
A parent who has a 680 credit score may sign be able to co-sign in the beginning of a student’s college career. But each time they co-sign for a loan their credit score may go down as they incur more debt. That can be accelerated if they have more than one child in college, Ruggiero said.
Once their score drops to 660, many institutions will no longer lend to them.
