Scholarships and Grants
ScholarshipsAndGrants.US provides essential Scholarship and Financial Aid Resources to students preparing for all types of careers. From the arts to aviation to education, we highlight the latest financial aid opportunities for students.
ScholarshipsAndGrants.US wants to be your go-to spot for up-to-the- minute information that will help you as you finalize your plans for college.
Decisions you make today will affect your life for years to come, and to help you make the right choices, on this site, we have provided you and your family with everything you will need to choose a school that is a good fit for you, select your major field of study, and, perhaps most important, simplify the process of finding the scholarships and grants for high school seniors that will provide the additional funds required to turn your education and future career dreams into reality.
In addition to our complete guide to obtaining scholarships and grants, we have included helpful articles for both you and your parents that will prove useful as you begin this new stage of your life.
For you we have included articles on everything from how to study in college, along with some the pitfalls you might encounter along the way, to how to keep physically fit during your freshman year. For your parents, we feature information about their adjustment when you leave home to understanding how a modern college campus operates and how they can still be very much involved in your education.
We feature a comprehensive scholarship, grant and financial aid data base, which is constantly reviewed and updated, assuring you the most current information out there. The good news? There are innumerable scholarship and grant opportunities available to help pay for your college education! No matter what your course of study, find financial aid, scholarships and grants to make your career dream a reality. All you have to do is look for them, complete your applications, and, before you know it, you’ll be on the way to your future career – and the rest of your life! It all starts today!
Scholarships and Grants for Students
When you first start searching for financial aid, the task can appear overwhelming, just because of the over-abundance of opportunities out there – but, a multitude of opportunities is a great problem to have!
Scholarships, grants, competitions --- you name it! Once you begin your search, you’ll be amazed with what you find! There are so many varieties offered, it may seem hard to sort out all of the information. However, you can greatly simplify the process by understanding that almost all of the funds available fit into specific sub-groups, and once you can see the big picture – you’re on your way!
The largest category of all is that of general scholarships and grants. These are not limited to any specific major field of study, school, ethnic group or minority. Anyone can apply, and, based on grades and test scores, everyone is eligible.
Next, there are awards specific to certain major fields of study. It doesn’t matter which career path you’ve chosen -- you’ll find specific financial aid packages for everything, from Aeronautics to Zoology.
And, what if you are a member of an ethnic or gender specific minority? No problem! There are many, many scholarships out there for you to apply for. Do you live in a certain state, or are you in a particular year in college? Perhaps you have a parent or grandparent who served in the military. Then you might qualify for one of the many, many packages specifically offered to these groups. More and more adults are returning to school to study for their second career --- there are scholarships for them, too. There are grants and awards for single mothers, for specific ethnic groups who are underrepresented in certain career areas – there are even special scholarships based on your interests. Imagine being given money for college just for being tall, or short, or designing something made of a specific brand of duct tape.
Finally, where do you plan to attend school? Every university or college boasts grants, endowments and scholarships for their students. Once you’ve made your college decision, find out what they offer --- and apply!
The single most important fact to remember when applying for financial support for college is you need to apply, and apply often. It is quite feasible to apply for scholarships in every area where you are qualified to do so. Competition is fierce, however, there are thousands of dollars that go un-awarded every year in all of these categories simply because no one applied for them.
Once you make your mind up to jump in, it’s all a matter of process: gather letters of recommendation; establish a history of high academic achievement and leadership ability; start contributing community service hours early on in your high school career; create well thought out essays, and get them critiqued by a teacher before you send them off. All of these items are parts of a well-rounded application packet, designed to impress a scholarship committee reviewing your application.
On this website, you will find numerous opportunities for financial aid. One -- or more – is waiting to make your career dream a reality!
Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) and the Student Aid Report (SAR)
All government grants, as well as numerous other scholarship opportunities, are based upon your need for financial assistance to continue your education. In order to substantiate your degree of need, you must complete a FAFSA application on line; and, your score --- SAR --- will be determined based on your answers. You will need to submit this information whenever you apply for a grant or scholarship that requires it. To find the application, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov. There is no charge for completing this process.
General Information
One of the best resources for financial aid information can be found on line at www.collegeboard.com. There you will find easily understood descriptions of various options you might use to pay for school. They also have an excellent Parents Guide to College that includes both aid and scholarship information. The site also has a needs calculator to help determine how much assistance you will require.
The site that will help you calculate actual costs for your education is www.studentaid.com. Their site is designed to show you and your parents how affordable a college education can be.
Want to know where to find out about all of the U.S. government grants and student financial aid programs available? fedmoney.org is the great place to start. They provide complete up to date information about what is available, who can apply, how to apply, as well as full contact info. They list over 240 grants, loans, scholarships, and fellowships.
Yet another informative resource is www.finaid.org. They feature in-depth explanations of various sources for funds, including military programs. They also discuss education tax benefits and how tuition payment plans work. This site also has a free scholarship search link.
State-Specific Scholarships for Graduating High School Seniors
This link will take you to scholarship opportunities listed by state. We have included specific information, by state, regarding scholarships or grants for specific minority groups, by area of study, or by gender. Just click on your state to see what is available for state colleges and universities as well as out of state study.
2013 Scholarships for High School Seniors
Student and Family Resources
If you are looking for the all-around index to a vast array of subjects, this is the one for you. Topics range from a section for parents, to a number of education funding alternatives. There are also a variety of other articles, from a section on study and research tips to how to avoid the “Dreaded Freshman 15.” In the Parent Section, we provide an informative funding study section that should prove helpful when calculating your financial resource needs for college.
Studying Abroad
You would be amazed at the opportunities to study in another country – for a semester, for a summer, or for a year. This is an experience that will change your life – and the way you look at the world – forever. Click on Study Abroad Scholarships and Grants on this website and find out about funding opportunities to immerse yourself in another language or culture. You’ll never regret it.
Scholarship Scams
How to Avoid College Scholarship Scams.
Tax Credits
There is actually an IRS site that provides complete information about federal programs giving tax benefits to students and their families to help defray the cost of higher education. The most common of these are Hope Credit, Lifetime Learning Credit, Coverdell Education Savings Account (Education IRA), and the Student Loan Interest Deduction. For details, investigate IRS Publication 970 Tax Benefits for Education at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf. Another tax credit program that can be worth up to $2,500 in tuition and other expenses allows you to claim them on your 2011 and 2012 tax returns. It is the American Opportunity Credit, and details can be found at www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=205674,00.html.
Learn more about Tax Credits.
On-line Scholarship Searches
Searching on-line for scholarship availability is a sure way to broaden your opportunities, and there are a great number of free sites out there to help you do this.
In addition to collegeboard.com, finaid.org, and studentaid.com mentioned before, here are a few more for you to investigate:
- college-scholarships.com - site has a directory of e-mail addresses and telephone numbers to more than 1,000 universities and colleges, including their financial aid departments. Schools are categorized by career path, on-line study, and states, etc.
- scholarships.com - $19 Billion in scholarships represented on this site.
- fastweb.com - let FastWeb be your new social network. They claim 50 million members, a database of 400,000 scholarships, and that 1 in 3 high school students have searched this site.
- collegeanswer.com – this Sallie Mae site has over 3 million scholarships worth over $16 billion listed ---- and, it’s updated daily.
- fastaid.com - this is the largest world-wide site for private scholarships, fellowships, and grants.
Financial Aid Calculators
During the early planning stage, you and your family are going to need to sit down and calculate how much assistance you are going to need to attend school. Various sites provide tools to help you do just that.
The most commonly used yardstick of need is the Free Application – Federal Student Assistance, found at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Upon completion you will receive a Student Aid Report that will estimate just how much federal assistance you and your family will be qualified for. More information may be found at www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov.
Again, the website, www.collegeboard.com provides excellent tools for calculating your expected family contribution (based on income and financial data) to loan repayment rates and time frames.
Some of the biggest financial questions can be answered – and their values calculated – by going to www.finaid.org/calculators/. Not only does this site provide easy how-to instructions for realistically estimating costs, in order to calculate just how much support will be required through scholarships and grants, it also explains how military programs can help and how tax credits and tuition payments plans work – even a savings vs. borrowing calculator.
At www.act.org/fane/ you can calculate estimated family contribution, but you can also see a rundown of anticipated expenses connected to attending college.
Graduate School Funding
If you are getting ready to enter graduate school, there are a number of financial assistance programs that are available to you that are not offered to underclassmen.
For instance – work your way through a teaching assistantship. To read more on this subject, check out www.gradschool.about.com/od/financialaid/Financial_Aid.htm.
If you are interested in federal funding for graduated school, the place to looks is studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/gradstudent.jsp.
If you are a minority graduate student, there is a site for you to find school funding as well as early career advice. You can also discuss various topics with other students. minoritygradstudent.com
Are you looking for grants to fund your graduate studies? Free money is available for just that purpose. Applications for financial aid may be found at collegescholarships.org.
For an amazingly complete website devoted specifically to graduate students and funding, go to gradspot.com/guides/funding-graduate-school and see what they have to offer. There are articles about loans, grants, scholarships, working your way through, and combinations thereof.
Student loans are another way to pay for graduate school. To find out all about them, go to gradloans.com.