Don't miss out on scholarships and grants for college education!
A college education can be one of the most rewarding experiences, as well as one of the most expensive. After assessing how much you can contribute, you might determine that additional funds are necessary. Scholarships and grants can help offset the cost of funding a college education. There is free money out there ….. you just need to know how to find it!
As you know, grants and scholarships are free money to help pay for college or career school. This is financial aid that does not have to be repaid. Grants are often need-based. They are based on your family's financial needs and can greatly reduce the cost of college. Scholarships are usually merit-based. They are issued to recognize exemplary performance in a variety of areas including academic achievement, athletics, extracurricular involvement, leadership, volunteer work , and achievements in the arts. Although they can be competitive, it is a great opportunity to offset the cost.
Grants and scholarships can come from:
- the federal government
- your state government
- your college or career school
- a private or nonprofit organization
Navigating the college financial aid process can be a daunting task. Where to begin?
Your first step should be to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form found at the U.S. Department of Education’s website (www.fafsa.gov). This is the form used by the U.S. Department of Education to determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by conducting a “need analysis” based on financial information, such as income, assets and other household information, which you will be asked to provide.
Most colleges and many private scholarship sponsors require students to submit their FAFSA to be considered for financial aid. Some school and private scholarship programs are specifically designed for students who were rejected for federal financial aid, so even if you don’t think you will qualify for federal aid, you should still submit it.
The FAFSA application becomes available in early January and will be accepted through June.
Apply the year before you plan on entering college and every year until you graduate.
How do you find scholarships and grants for college funding? There are many resources including the following:
- the financial aid office at a college or career school
- your high school
- federal agencies
- your library’s reference section
- foundations, religious or community organizations (examples: Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce)
- local businesses or civic groups
- organizations (including professional associations) related to your field of interest
- ethnicity-based organizations
- your employer or your parents’ employers
- government sites (U.S. Department of Education) (www.ed.gov)
- social media (search twitter hashtags such as #scholarships, #college and #financialaid)
Did you know there is an app for that? Scholly is a mobile application designed to ease the scholarship search process. (www.myscholly.com)
Some suggested websites for your search: Scholarships.com, CollegeBoard.com, CollegeNet.com, Fastweb.com, Scholarshipmonkey.com, Cappex.com, Zinch.com, Salliemae.com
Some phone numbers for further information:
Federal Student Aid Information Center: 1-800-433-3243
U.S. Department of Education: 1-800-872-5327
Don't miss deadlines. Scholarships are very strict when it comes to deadlines. You need to be organized and make sure you know when everything is due.
Avoid scholarship or financial aid scams! Make sure scholarship information and offers you receive are legitimate; and remember that you don't have to pay to find scholarships or other financial aid. Legitimate scholarship programs do not require an upfront fee.
Carol Chaudet
(last updated 06/15/2015)