Steven C. Roberts

When Steven C. Roberts arrived at college age, his sister was involved in a car accident. His parents were paying his sister’s medical bills and came to him and said in effect: “There’s no money for college. If you want to go you will need to figure it out. Good luck.”

Steven had a few hundred dollars but wanted to go to college. “I can remember the feelings of uncertainty and anxiety questioning whether college was really for me,” Steven said. “This was a trying time for me as I didn’t know what to do or how to accomplish my goal. I just knew that attending college was a way to improve my life and held opportunities for me – but I didn’t want to go to college with debt. I just knew that I wanted to go.”

In high school, Steven wasn’t a perfect student. He wasn’t involved in sports. He wasn’t on the debate team. He didn’t get involved in student government. By many counts, he didn’t have much going for him. Steven did not have the profile of many students who typically are thought of as candidates for scholarships. Yet, with lots of research and persistence Steven did find ways to pay for college.

Steven did “figure it out.” He earned 35 scholarships and grants, three prestigious scholarships, was a research assistant and teaching assistant, and was actually paid more money than what college cost. “I spent hundreds of hours – perhaps thousands of hours, trying to figure out what worked to pay for college. Not only did I find things that worked for me, I found resources that would help pay for college that anyone could use regardless of GPA or background.”

When Steven got to industry, he found that coworkers were still paying student loans 10-15 years after finishing college. “This was really an eye-opening experience as I found that more and more people were being hurt by student loans,” Steven said. “At first, I thought people used student loans as a last resort, but I later learned that 70% of all college students ended up with a student loan. If people only knew a few simple resources, tips, and strategies, they could significantly reduce or eliminate the cost of their college.”

Steven decided to make an impact and change this for others. That is when he authored: Winning the Money Game in College. After authoring the book, he has been sought out by over 600 radio stations and podcasts. Steven has spoken at colleges, high schools, libraries, businesses, and symposiums.

Steven lives near Ogden, UT with his wife and children. He enjoys cooking, writing, teaching, studying religion and patriotism, and helping people pay for college.