Independent 529 Plan News Room

News archive | Program milestones | Press releases

Independent 529 in the news

• Juniata Magazine: 2009 Fall-Winter
  Juniata Freshman Carries on Family Legacy with Independent 529 Plan


• The Wall Street Journal: December 9, 2008
  More Families Move to Lock In Tuition Rates


• The Christian Science Monitor: June 27, 2008
  New Incentive to Save for College


• U.S. News & World Report: April 21, 2008
  Paying for College: For Parents


• The Baltimore Sun: April 13, 2008
  Independent 529 Plans are Making College Affordable


• Detroit Free Press: April 7, 2007
  4 Ways to Grow Money for Future College Costs


• New Haven Register: September 2, 2007
  Tax Change Makes College Savings Plan More Attractive


• University Business: October 2007
  Tuition and Student Debt Levels Reflect National Priorities


• Dallas Morning News: May 20, 2007
  Saving for Kids' College? You Have Options


• Loyola: Spring 2007
  Another Way to Save


• Baltimore Sun: September 5, 2006
  Hopkins Joins Prepaid Plan


• Newsweek: August 14, 2006
  Prepay Your Way to College


• University of Notre Dame Alumni News: June 2006
  Independent 529 Plan


• Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania: May 2006
  PA Leads Nation in Number of Schools Participating in Independent 529 Plan


• US News & World Report: April 17, 2006
  Savings 101


• Baylor Magazine: Spring 2006
  Investing in the Future


• RIT The University Magazine: Spring 2006
  FYI: Help for Parents Saving for Children’s College


• The Chronicle of Higher Education: February 2006
  Congress Votes to Remove Penalty on Some Families That Invest in Prepaid-Tuition Plans


• San Francisco Chronicle: February 14, 2006
  Changes in Aid for Students


• USA Today: February 13, 2006
  Deficit Bill Gives Prepaid Tuition Plan Users a Break


• The Stanford Daily: February 13, 2006
  Prepaid Tuition Plans No Longer Decrease Aid


• The Star Ledger: December 16, 2005
  Road to Savings Paved with Good Intentions


• Physician’s Money Digest: September, 2005
  Invest in Your Child’s Greatness


• San Francisco Chronicle: November 13, 2005
  Thinking Ahead on Tuition


• University Business: August 2005
  Unlocking Access Behind the scenes of one institution's decision to join Independent 529 Plan


• Denison Magazine: Summer 2004
  Independent 529 Plan Preserves Today's Tuition for Tomorrow (PDF, 71KB)
  (by Scott Rawdon and reprinted here with permission from Denison University)


• Ithaca College Quarterly: Spring 2004
  The Perfect Gift


• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: February 8, 2004
  Early start on college - 230 private schools champion new plan (PDF, 2.2 MB)


• BusinessWeek: December 15, 2003
  The Best Products of 2003 (PDF, 67KB)

Read what the College Board has to say about the rising cost of a college education.

When the best minds in education get together, good things happen.

Tuition Plan Consortium and TIAA-CREF introduced Independent 529 Plan in September, 2003. Already the program has achieved some significant milestones:

• June, 2007-Independent 529 Plan passes the $1 Million-in-Tuition Redeemed mark.


• May, 2007-Independent 529 Plan passes the $125 Million-in-Assets mark. Over 260 member colleges.


• November, 2006—Independent 529 Plan passes the $100 Million-in-Assets mark. 5000^th account opened.


• August, 2006—Legislation passes that makes permanent the Federal income tax-free treatment of qualified withdrawals and the law granting permission to colleges and their consortia to sponsor 529 plans. Read more.


• March, 2006—Independent 529 Plan passes the $75 Million-in-Assets mark.


• February, 2006—Legislation passes that requires prepaid tuition plans be treated the same as college savings plans in the federal financial aid formula. Read more.


• September, 2005—Black Wealth Network selects Independent 529 Plan as the only college savings product with which it partners.


• September, 2004—Robert Merton, Harvard Business School Finance & 1997 Nobel Prize Winner in economics, hails Independent 529 Plan because parents shed the risk of skyrocketing college tuition in The Wall Street Journal (September 9, 2004).


• May, 2004—The Princeton Review selects Independent 529 Plan as the only college savings product with which it partners.


• May, 2004—Suze Orman names Independent 529 Plan as “favorite 529” program in O The Oprah Magazine (June 2004 issue).


• December, 2003—BusinessWeek names Independent 529 Plan as a “Best Product of 2003,” the only financial product so designated.


• October, 2003—Tuition Plan Consortium is commended by the U.S. House of Representatives with House Resolution 378 for creating first national prepaid tuition plan.

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