Scholarships & Financial Aid
Applying for scholarships and financial aid are a necessary step for every student going to college.
There are many tools and resources online for finding and applying for scholarships and financial aid. These are just a few that will be helpful in the search:
Academic Competitiveness & National SMART Grants: The current college students and high school seniors to apply for new Academic Competitiveness Grants and National SMART Grants. Students who completed rigorous coursework In high school or who are pursuing degrees in math, science and critical foreign languages are eligible for a portion of $790 million in new federal funding for higher education. For more Information go to: http://www.ed.gov/
BrokeScholar: This is a free scholarship search engine connecting students and parents with financial aid and college scholarships. The Broke Scholar database matches student profiles with more than 900,000 scholarships worth over $3 billion to find the most relevant and obtainable opportunities. It can be accessed at: http://www.eduinreview.com/Student-Scholarships/Broke-Scholar
CollegeAnswer.com: This web page has detailed information on education savings plans, school costs, ways to pay for college, scholarships, and the student financial aid process (from estimating your (EFC) Estimated Family Contribution, to completing the FAFSA and reviewing the (SAR) Student Aid Report. It can be accessed at: http://www.collegeanswer.com/indexi.sp
CollegeBoard helps you find college, pay for college, make a plan at: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
Collegenet.com allows you to search for scholarships two ways –
- A Keyword Search: If you already know something about the scholarship you are looking for. Enter a series of keywords to find all scholarships that contain those same words in their name or description.
- A Profile Search looks for scholarships that match your personal profile. Provide as little or as much information as you want to find the scholarships that you are most qualified to receive.
- This service can be accessed at: http://www.collegenet.com/mach25/app
College Toolkit is a one-stop resource for life after high school allowing students to find and apply for scholarships, search through a database of more than 4,000 colleges, and explore 900 careers all in one location. It is one of the most comprehensive sites for life after high school and everything on the site is free for students to use. This website can be accessed at: http://www.collegetoolkit.com/
FAFSA4caster allows you and your family to receive an early estimate of eligibility for federal student aid. This website provides you with an opportunity to increase your knowledge of the financial aid process; become familiar with the various types of federal student aid that are available; and investigate other sources of aid, such as grants and scholarships. To access this website go to: https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e1s1
FASTWeb is a free searchable database of more than 600,000 private sector scholarships, grants, fellowships and loans. It is absolutely the most “cutting edge” method of researching scholarship information, and it is updated daily (approximately 1,200 per day). To access the Financial Aid Information page go to: http://edu.fastweb.com/
Finaid.org is an overall financial aid site with information on loans and scholarships, and a financial aid calculator that can help you determine whether you qualify for need-based aid and what your family’s (EFC) Estimated Financial Contribution will be. It can be accessed at: http://www.finaid.org/
FinancialAidLetter.com is a website where you can read real college financial aid award letters. Decode confusing (and sometimes misleading) loan and scholarship information. Translate financial aid jargon and acronyms into plain English. Get great tips on raising extra college cash, cutting costs, and making that degree more affordable. Find out why you deserve clear and complete cost information, and why colleges aren’t delivering it. It can be accessed at: http://www.financialaidletter.com/
Hispanic Scholarship Fund: The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the nation’s leading Hispanic scholarship organization, providing the Hispanic community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. In its 34-year history, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund has awarded close to $280M in scholarships to more than 90,000 students in need. Two-thirds of these students were the first in their families to go to college. It can be accessed at: https://hsf.net/
Kaarme.com provides free college and scholarship information for high school students. Unlike other college and scholarship websites however, Kaarme.com does not profit from the sale of student information to third parties. Begun by a group of concerned parents who were dissatisfied with the status quo, Kaarme.com’s Scholarship Section is the only one available that does not require students to register and submit personal information which is then sold to any company willing to pay for it. For more information go to: http://www.worldwidelearn.com/financial-aid/financial-aid-resources.htm
MeritAid.com is the web’s first comprehensive directory of merit scholarships from colleges. We want to make it easy for you to understand how much merit aid is available to you from colleges across the country before you apply. The site can be accessed at: https://www.cappex.com/scholarships/
National Center for Educational Statistics This website tells you the average award amount at each school, how many students receive aid and various other statistics. You can also find this information in many college handbooks. It can be accessed at: http://www.nces.ed.gov/
Scholarships.com: Each Scholarships.com user answers a detailed questionnaire, providing information about their academics, extracurricular activities, and individual background. We then use this data to generate a customized list of grant and scholarship opportunities that match the student’s qualifications. At the heart of this process is our industry-leading scholarship database – the most comprehensive and accurate compilation of national, state, local, and college-based scholarships and grants available anywhere: http://www.scholarships.com/
Scholarship Hunter is a free service that allows you to search for scholarships by major and by state. It also has a comprehensive listing of scholarship sweepstakes & essay contests. It can be accessed at: http://scholarshiphunter.com/
SchoolSoup has the largest scholarship database in the world. Their search engine will find scholarships that match your interests and profile by searching through $32 Billion worth of scholarships. They also provide links to Test Prep services, online textbooks and a college search engine! It can be accessed at: http://schoolsoup.com/
SimpleTution.com: Borrowing for educational expenses leaves many students and their families feeling lost – and they are not alone. With so many lenders offering so many versions of basic loan types, it can be hard to find the financing option that’s best for each individual’s situation. That’s where SimpleTuition comes in. SimpleTuition is designed to help students and families find their way to the ideal student loan or financing option for educational expenses, and to help them take action. It can be accessed at: www.simpletuition.com
Student Scholarship Search provides students and parents with a FREE searchable database of college scholarships and grants. No registration required. Scholarships updated daily. It can be accessed at: http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com
The U.S. Department of Education site has information about federal aid programs, and includes recommendations and tips for parents and students on how to pay for college. It can be accessed at: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/
Unigo.com: Where do YOU want to go to school? Read college reviews, get matched to schools, find scholarships, and more at: https://www.unigo.com/