Scholarships & Financial Aid
Securing
financing for your college education is an essential step in your
future planning. There are basically two ways of financing your
education.
Merit Based Scholarships
What are merit-based scholarships?
These scholarships are given to students who have shown outstanding academic achievement and/or have made significant contributions to their school or community. These are not determined by your financial need. These scholarships are often given by associations, companies, governmental units, foundations and nonprofit organizations.Do I qualify?
These often require very high qualifications in terms of grades and test scores. Applications also require excellent recommendations and extracurricular/or community activities.
For athletic or talent scholarships, students must truly be outstanding.Where do I find these scholarships?
Merit-based scholarships can be found on the local, city, state and national level. Naturally, the higher level scholarships are the most competitive. Ask your guidance counselor for information on merit scholarships and do your own searches on the Web.
Ask about scholarships at your job or your parents’ place of employment as many companies offer merit scholarships to employees or their children. Also, check out local organizations such as clubs, businesses, churches, etc.
Contact the schools to which you plan on applying. Schools will list numerous merit scholarships in their catalogs or on their Web sites that are available for entering freshmen. The financial aid office of any post-secondary school/university will also have a listing of merit-based scholarships offered at their school.Local & State Scholarships:
National Scholarships:
Fastweb CollegeNet
CollegeView SallieMae: College Answer
Scholarshipexperts Scholarships.com
Need Based Financial Aid
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form colleges and universities use to determine a students eligibility for federal financial aid. Federal financial aid can be comprised of grants, loans and work-study programs. Many times schools use this information to award non-federal aid as well.
There are several questions on the FAFSA that are used to determine what is known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This expected family contribution is the amount of money that the Federal government assumes that a student and their family can contribute towards the student's education. Typically, need-based financial aid, including loans and grants, will cover the cost of attending college minus the expected family contribution.
FAFSA (Free Application For Federal Student Aid)
The Guide to Federal Student Aid 2006-2007
Finaid.org (A Calculator to determine your EFC)
E-Student Loan