College Counseling > College Financial Aid & Scholarships

A college education is an investment in a young person's future, and more and more, college costs reflect that. Financial assistance can include loans, grants, scholarships, and work opportunities. There are three basic financial aid application forms to be aware of: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is used by public institutions and many private schools; the College Scholarship Service PROFILE, which is used primarily by private institutions; and an institutional form that an individual college may have created itself. Be prepared to complete any combination of these forms if you are applying for need-based financial aid. The College Office will have copies of the FAFSA and the PROFILE available for you when they are released in late fall, but you are encouraged to complete these forms online.

As you research colleges, ask about each institution's financial aid procedures. Some schools will only consider students for merit-based scholarships or grant awards if they submit the financial aid forms. Every year, there are families who miss out on the opportunity for scholarship funds because they believe they do not qualify for any need-based financial aid, thereby not submitting the necessary financial aid forms.

Financial Aid Web Sites
Collegeboard.com
Comprehensive site with answers to your financial aid questions. Contains several financial aid calculators, loan information, and more.

Fafsa.ed.gov
Almost every college will require the submission of this free form to consider you for financial aid.

Federal Student Aid
US Department of Education's web site for financial aid. A wealth of information including The Student Financial Assistance Programs, the largest source of student aid in the US.

Finaid.org
Good general information on financial aid. A Financial Need Estimator can predict your estimated family contribution. "Ask the Expert" allows you to submit questions and receive a response.

Profile
Another application form that some colleges require in addition to the FAFSA. There is a fee for completing this form. Only complete it if necessary.

Salliemae.com
Financial Aid 101 tutorial contains topics like eligibility, the application process, and securing a loan. Both private and public educational loans are listed.

Scholarships
Regardless of your financial situation, there may be scholarships available to you. Scholarships are given by individual colleges, organizations, companies and community groups, and they have many different criteria, which may range from an outstanding academic record to the excellence of a specific project to an unusually high degree of volunteer involvement. You may be eligible because you have a parent working for a specific company or the award may be for ethnic background, special talent or religious affiliation. If you are serious about finding monies for college, you should be willing to spend some time on your search.

Remember: Never spend more than a postage stamp to get information about scholarships!

Scholarship web sites
Hawken's Scholarship Database
Weekly updates and a cumulative list of scholarships available to students.

Collegeboard.com
Includes a scholarship search database known as the Fund Finder.

Fastaid.com
World's largest and oldest private sector scholarship database. You'll find scholarships here that you won't find anywhere else.

Fastweb.com
Database contains more than 500,000 private sector scholarships, fellowships, grants and loans. Widely considered one of the best search sites available.

Finaid.org
Scholarship search for specific interests in art, biology, computer science, engineering, journalism, and nursing.

Salliemae.com
Free scholarship search and free access to College Aid Sources for Higher Education (CASHE).

scholarshipexperts.com
This free scholarship site offers a database of over 2.4 million awards totaling over 14 billion dollars.

studentscholarshipsearch.com
A wealth of scholarship resources, including new and top rated awards.

uncf.org/forstudents/scholarship/asp
Search hundreds of scholarships and grants administered by the United Negro College Fund.

scholarships.com
Provides access to over 2.7 million scholarships and grants worth 19 billion dollars.