Liz Weston

College financial aid offers have been sent out, and the traditional May 1 deadline for high school seniors to pick their schools is fast approaching. That means all across this great land of ours, grandparents are getting hit up by would-be college students desperate to use their elders’ good credit.

Federal student loans don’t require co-signers, but private student loans typically do. If the student’s parents don’t have good credit scores or aren’t willing to co-sign, a loving grandparent may be asked to step in. In my latest for the Associated Press, why grandparents need to say no to co-signing student loans.