| Title | The financial aid book, revised edition |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Publisher | Seattle, WA: Perpetual Press |
| Primary Use | The source provides information for financial aid for students, primarily for the United States. |
| Types of Information Provided | The source provides listings for scholarships, grants, competitions, fellowships, internships, and loans. In addition, there is a short section on the application process in general. The source provides listings for the name of the institution giving the financial aid, the name of the financial aid, the amount of the aid, who is eligible, and contact information. |
| Search Indexes Provided | The source provides indexes for College Major/Field of Study, State of Residence/Study, Memberships and Activities, Student/Family Employment, and other personal characteristics. |
| Authority | The listings are compiled by Student Financial Services. |
| Strengths | The indexing system is nicely done. |
| Weaknesses | The descriptions, if any, are quite brief. There is not much information given for the listings. The book does not provide Internet information, such as WWW addresses or e-mail. |
| Unique Aspects | The source provides a place in the back of the book to list personal information for applications, a to do list, and a place to list the scholarships applied for. |
| Title | How to find out about financial aid and funding |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Publisher | El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Services Press |
| Primary Use | This is a bibliography of sources of financial aid including print, electronic, and Internet resources. Types of awards covered are scholarships, fellowships, loans, and grants. |
| Types of Information Provided | The source covers provides sources that are information for the social sciences, the humanities, the sciences, special population groups, and general sources. It covers grants for individuals and organizations. The book also covers prizes and awards and internships. Provides bibliographic information for sources, a brief description of the source, and how to order the material. In some cases, a web site and e-mail is provided. |
| Search Indexes Provided | The source includes a title index, a name index, a publisher and producer index, a geographic index, and a subject index. |
| Authority | Reference Service Press is a leader in this field. |
| Strengths | The source is great for finding other reference sources for aid. The source covers sources beyond materials for the United States. |
| Weaknesses | Perhaps the source is a bit dated at four years old. |
| Unique Aspects | The book includes information about government sources. |
| Title | The College Blue Book, 29th ed. Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Loans, Vol. 5 |
|---|---|
| Year | 2002 |
| Publisher | New York: Gale Group |
| Primary Use | The primary use for this source is to find scholarships, fellowships, grants, and loans for higher education. |
| Types of Information Provided | The source includes financial aid information for various
disciplines including cultural studies, environmental studies, humanities,
life sciences, medical sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, and
technology. There is also a section for minority students. The source lists the name of the organization for the aid, the name of the aid, contact information, level of education for the aid, the amount of the awards, eligibility requirements, how the awards are dispersed, and deadlines. |
| Search Indexes Provided | There is a subject index, level of education index, sponsoring organization index, and title of awards index included in the source. |
| Authority | The Gale Group is a well-known publisher of reference materials for libraries. |
| Strengths | The number of areas covered in the book appears to be the strength of this source. The source is well organized in sections so students can look in their respective fields. |
| Weaknesses | It is a good place for students to start looking for information, but if a student were looking for a specific area for financial aid, especially for graduate education, another source may be helpful to consult after this source. In addition, the source does not seem to cover international aid. |
| Unique Aspects | It seems unique because it is quite comprehensive. |
| Title | Free Application for Federal Student Aid |
|---|---|
| Web Address | http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ |
| Publisher | Washington, DC:U.S. Department of Education |
| Primary Use | Provides information about federal student aid, and the form online for students to apply. |
| Types of Information Provided | The site provides information for students before the begin filling out the form, how to fill out the form, and follow-up information about the results of the FAFSA. It also provides school codes for the form, information in Spanish, and allows students to check the status of an application. There is a link to the student aid guide printed by the Department of Education. |
| Search Indexes Provided | There is a site map for users to view. |
| Authority | This is a federal government web site. |
| Strengths | The site provides all of the information needed for filling out the FAFSA, which is an important form for financial aid. |
| Weaknesses | It would be nice for the site to explain other types of financial aid to students. |
| Unique Aspects | Students are able to save an application and return at another time to complete it. |
| Title | FinAid: The SmartStudentTM Guide to Financial Aid |
|---|---|
| Web Address | http://www.finaid.org |
| Publisher | Mark Kantrowitz |
| Primary Use | The site provides financial aid informtion for students of all types. |
| Types of Information Provided | The site provides information about scholarships, loans, college savings, military aid, a section for other types of aid, information about financial aid applications, a place to ask questions, and a financial aid calculator. In addition, there are sections for parents and financial aid counselors as well. |
| Search Indexes Provided | The site provides a site map. |
| Authority | This organization is run by an author of college planning material. |
| Strengths | The site appears to provide the most comprehensive information available for students of all types. |
| Weaknesses | It would add to the site if there were links to scholarships or other types of financial aid. |
| Unique Aspects | The site provides a place with FAQ's and allows users to send questions about financial aid. |
| Title | Financial Aid Resource Center |
|---|---|
| Web Address | http://www.theoldschool.org |
| Publisher | Financial Aid Resource Center |
| Primary Use | This site is a general all purpose site for finding information about financial aid. |
| Types of Information Provided | There is information about loans, scholarchips, and an educational resource directory. There is general information for different types of students, such as graduate students, undergraduate students, international students, and disabled students. |
| Search Indexes Provided | The site does not provide any indexes. |
| Authority | The site is run by a former financial aid administrator. |
| Strengths | The Education Resource Directory appears to be a part of the site that could grow into a very good resource for educational information. |
| Weaknesses | It seems that the site is in a construction stage as far as the amount of information provided. It could improve with time. |
| Unique Aspects | There are links to free newsletters for users to sign up for. |
Proceed to Sources of Financial Aid for Undergraduate Students
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Prepared as part of the requirements for the Master of Library Science Degree
Department of Information and Library Science
School of Communication Information and Library Science
Southern Connecticut State University
