Applying to College
The basics: getting started
Start gathering information early.
Free information is readily available from:
- High school counselors
- College and career school financial aid offices (where you plan to attend)
- Local and college libraries
- U.S. Department of Education
- Other Internet sites (search terms student financial aidassistance)
FinAid: for Parents
College Savings Plan Network (state "Section 529" plans)
Tax incentives for higher education expenses
Cash for College
FinAid: The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid
Financial Aid: You Can Afford It
Looking for Student Aid
Mapping Your Future
Paying for College
Department of Education
Federal Trade Commission
Student aid and where it comes from
Basic Assistance Categories
- Financial need-based
Remember that students and their parents are responsible for paying what they can-- financial aid is a supplement, not a substitute, for family resources. - Non need-based
Factors include academic excellence, ethnic background, or organization membership. Corporations may also offer assistance to employees and children.
Federal Student Aid
- Provides nearly 70% of student aid und er Loans, Grants and Work/study programs.
- Available to all need-based applicants; some loans and competitive scholarships for non need-based.
- Free information from the U.S. Department of Education:
Stafford Loans
- Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) from private lenders, such as banks and credit unions, guaranteed by the federal government.
- William D. Ford Direct Loans (DL) directly from the federal government.
- Federal PLUS Loans parental loans, not need-based.
- Perkins Loans for the most needy undergraduates; through participating schools
Scholarships/grants
- Pell Grants
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
Other grants, scholarships, and fellowships, mostly graduate level: search the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) by Beneficiary, such as "Student or Trainee" or "Graduate Student".
"Congressional" scholarships
Named for Member of Congress or other prominent individual (such as Byrd Honors Scholarships, Fulbright fellowships
Merit-based and highly competitive
Members of Congress do not play a role in selecting recipients
Search by Beneficiary in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Work study
- Federal Work Study Program: college campus jobs
- Student Educational Employment: jobs with the federal government
For questions not covered by the Department of Education website, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.
States offer residents a variety of scholarships, loans, and tuition exemptions.
- Check with your state higher education agency and guarantee agency.
- Consider prepaid tuition and college savings ("Section 529")plans: College Savings Plans Network.
- Search your Internet browser under terms such as student financial aid or assistance AND your state.
Private foundations, corporations, and organizations offer scholarships or grants:
Targeted aid for special groups
- Grant for Minorities: Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, Native Americans, and Other Ethnic Groups.
- African Americans: Scholarships (UNCF)
- Disabled students: HEATH Resource Center
- Foreign students: Financial Aid for International Students
- Hispanic Americans: Scholarships (HSF)
- Financial Aid for Law School: Law School Admission Council
- Medical students: Association of American Medical Colleges
- Native Americans: American Indian College Fund
- Study abroad (for U.S. and non-U.S. citizens): International Education Financial Aid
- Veterans: Education Benefits
Repaying your loans
After college, the federal government has ways to help you repay your loans. Eligibility depends upon the type of loan, when it was made, and whether it's in default.
- Loan Consolidation: combine your federal loans into a single loan with one monthly payment.
- Sometimes loans may be canceled in exchange for public service.
- Teachers: Cancellation/Deferment Options
- Health professions: National Health Service Corps
- Federal employees:Federal Student Loan Repayment Program