(http://www.studentloanshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/before-taking-private-student-loans.png)

There's so much money available out there for student loans.

And when the federal money dries up, there's plenty of private student loan availability to pick up the slack.

But with private student loans offering none of the repayment options available for federal loans - not to mention higher interest rates - it's a good idea to do use other options first.

In this 20 minute episode we talk about:

* Why free money is better than a private student loan
* How much you can take out in federal student loans
* The real benefits of working part-time while you're in school
* Ways to lower your total cost of attendance

Here are some links to help you get even more help:

* the U.S. Department of Labor’s FREE scholarship search tool (http://careerinfonet.org/scholarshipsearch/ScholarshipCategory.asp?searchtype=category&nodeid=22)
* federal student loan limits (https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized#how-much)
* College Board's Scholarship Search (https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search)
* Find your state grant agency (http://www2.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/index.html)