There was a good discussion on NPR this morning about a non-profit group that was formed to help U.S. Veterans pay off their student loan debt. It is actually two Veterans who started the group, Leave No Veterans Behind. This focused group is making strides to help relieve them of their Veteran student loans. 

One of the founders shared a story about when he was deployed overseas he actually received a call from his student loan originator asking him to make a payment. Student loans are supposed to be deferred when a soldier/sailor is deployed, but for whatever reason the loan originator still called them. They ended up working it out in the end and it helped spark the idea of helping other Veterans out with their loans. If you would like to help a Veteran, please visit their website.

The average Veteran who attends school has an average student loan debt of $42,000. This eye-popping figure is what Leave No Veterans Behind is out to help with. The group has already helped wipe the student loan debt clean for 3 Veterans and they continue to seek out donations so they can help out the hundreds of thousands of other Veterans struggling to pay off their loans.

If you are Veteran, AnyCollege works with many schools that offer exclusive scholarship and financial aid options to Veterans, so be sure to check out some of these great colleges today. While you are at it, swing over and submit an entry for our scholarship drawing!

Starbucks announced today that they will begin offering free Wi-Fi at all of its locations nationwide starting on July 1st. Even better, you won't even have to register for an account and the Wi-Fi will not be limited. I have a feeling that the Starbucks near Colleges and High Schools are going to be a lot more busy starting in July.

While you are taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi, be sure to stop back by and read our blog or apply for our scholarship drawing!

Happy (free) surfing.

Congrats to @jaystar10225 (Twitter), future Sam Houston State University student and WINNER of our Deck Your Dorm contest!

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Step 1 Must be one of the following:

Follower of AnyCollege.com on Twitter Fan of AnyCollege.com on Facebook Friend of AnyCollege.com on MySpace

Note: Increase your odds of winning by adding AnyCollege.com on more than one social network!

Step 2 Must have the provided logo as your profile picture on August 12th See http://www.anycollege.com/contest/index.cfm for images

Step 3 Make the following post to your profile on August 12th:

' Win a $2,000 AnyCollege.com Scholarship! Take five minutes to apply at http://www.anycollege.com/scholarship.cfm '

Special Instructions:

Twitter followers, RT @anycollege Facebook fans, post to 'What's on Your Mind' MySpace fans, post to 'What are you doing right now?' or 'Bulletin Space'

Full Contest Rules:

1. Must be an incoming college freshman as of 2009 or 2010. 2. Must be a fan, friend, or follower of AnyCollege.com on Facebook, MySpace and/or Twitter. Note: Joining more than one network increases your odds of winning! 3. Must have the provided AnyCollege.com logo as your profile picture on August 12th (all day!) AND post the following link to your page – Win a $2,000 AnyCollege.com Scholarship! Take five minutes to apply at http://www.anycollege.com/scholarship.cfm. 4. Winner will be chosen at random for a $250 giftcard and will be notified on August 13th through instant message on Facebook, MySpace and/or Twitter. No information submission is necessary to win, however the winner must provide us with a mailing address for the giftcard.

No no, it's not the latest trendy store in the Gap line. It refers to an article recently posted by Inside Higher Ed (http://www.insidehighered.com/layout/set/dialog/news/2009/08/10/parents) about how low income parents are more likely to say there is no way their kids can attend college because there is no financial help and loans are too expensive.

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August 12th, contest for 2009 and 2010 High School Graduates!! http://www.anycollege.com/contest/index.cfm

Win a $250 giftcard!!