Paying down college debt; student loan help - aarp bulletin

LILY'S LIST Illinois mom Jennifer Taylor was shocked to discover that her daughter Lily, a sophomore at the University of Iowa, could face as much as $20,000 in student loan debt after

graduation. "When I showed her the numbers she could be responsible for, she was horrified" too, says Taylor, 54. Necessity again proved to be the mother of invention, and

Lily's List was born. It's a website designed to make it easy for loan-reducing donations to flow. An indebted student or graduate registers at Lilyslist.com, paying a $15 annual

fee. Helpful friends and family members can then make donations at the site, which channels the money directly to the student's loan account. Donors are charged a $2.75 transaction fee

for each use. Lily's List sends students e-mail notices when gifts are made on their behalf, says Taylor, who's working with three other mothers to hone and perfect the site. One

of the advantages of the program, she says, is that the donor's gift goes toward reducing a student's debt, not to fund a purchase of an iPhone, latte or anything else.

"It's a very heavy thing for these young people to be facing at a young age," says one of Taylor's associates, Beverly Gibson, 54, whose two children will be

college-bound in a few years. Lily's List interests Boston University business management major Severine Cukierman, 19, who estimates she'll be facing $20,000 in student loan debt

after graduation. "I definitely want to look at anything that will help reduce my load," Cukierman says. UPROMISE Upromise.com wrings debt pay-down from everyday purchases such as

groceries, gasoline and clothing. Owned by Sallie Mae, the site has more than 750 participating merchants that designate anywhere from 1 percent to 25 percent of the price of things you buy

from them toward a student's educational loans. "Family and friends can participate on behalf of any beneficiary they choose," Upromise spokeswoman Debby Hohler says.

"Every time they book a flight, rent a car, go out to dinner, book a hotel, they can be getting money back that can be used to help pay for college." Upromise has 12 million

members and has funneled roughly $600 million toward student debt since 2001, Hohler says. _Blair S. Walker is a Miami-based writer._