Paying for What Comes After School · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Price your path after school honestly

Life Skills · Money & Finance · ages 16-18
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which costs belong in the full ledger?

    • Only the brochure's headline fee
    • Fees plus living costs plus forgone wages
    • Fees only, since the rest do not count

  2. What decides whether a course is worth it for you?

    • Its specific costs, odds and returns in your subject
    • Its fame alone, whatever the subject
    • Whether your friends also applied there

  3. Education debt should be judged on the cash received, not the total repaid.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. In what order should you borrow for study?

    • Commercial debt first, free support last
    • Free support, then official loans, commercial never if avoidable
    • Borrow from every source at once

  5. How does a repayment threshold protect low earners?

    • It cancels all debt after one year
    • It doubles payments for low earners
    • Only earnings above the threshold trigger payments

  6. Why include a non-college route in your comparison?

    • It may beat a weak college path on the full ledger
    • Non-college routes are always worse
    • Comparisons need at least four rows

  7. What three details must you check on any scholarship offer?

    • Deadline, renewal terms, and whether it stacks with other aid
    • Logo size, letter font, and envelope colour
    • The donor's hobbies and hometown

  8. A 5000 award looks better than a 500 one. When is the smaller award the better target?

    • When it has the latest possible deadline
    • When its name sounds more impressive
    • When its small pool means odds you can actually win
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Price your path after school honestly W1-mt_Zarsb85RH9-s1

  1. Fees plus living costs plus forgone wages · Most students underestimate living costs and lost wages, which often dominate.
  2. Its specific costs, odds and returns in your subject · Averages hide the spread that matters to your own path.
  3. False · Interest and repayment terms decide what debt truly costs.
  4. Free support, then official loans, commercial never if avoidable · Every grant found is a pound plus interest you never repay.
  5. Only earnings above the threshold trigger payments · Below the line you pay little or nothing; above it you pay more.
  6. It may beat a weak college path on the full ledger · Honest choice needs a real alternative on the table.
  7. Deadline, renewal terms, and whether it stacks with other aid · A scholarship you lose in year two was a discount, not funding.
  8. When its small pool means odds you can actually win · Volume plus fit wins. An award you win beats one you never finish.
Worksheet · LightMySky