So you want to go to college but are not sure how you can afford it? You are lost in the whole financial aid process? Relax! You have come to the right page. The financial aid process can be very difficult to understand, and there is a great deal of "misinformation" out there (see the College Board's facts and myths about college costs). But once you get informed and figure out what forms you need to fill out, the best advise can be simplified into these four words:
But before we even start talking about financial aid forms, visit Fast Web. Fast Web is a free scholarship search service, and probably the best one out there. It will take you about 15 minutes to fill out a survey, then they will start emailing you scholarship opportunities they believe you are eligible for based on your survey answers. They are all nationally competitive scholarships, and you can expect a lot of them to require essays. But it is certainly worth the effort to register!
Nearly every college requires you to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You can electronically file the FAFSA or it can be mailed in, but cannot be submitted before January 1 of your senior year. This form must be filed or you will not be eligible for federal grants, loans, or work study. If you are working with the FAFSA online, you will also need a PIN number to access or make changes to your FAFSA or Student Aid Report (SAR). You will receive an SAR within a few weeks of submitting your FAFSA, which you can use to make changes, update your financial information (particularly if you used estimates on your income), or add colleges to your list. You can gather a lot of information also from the Federal Student Aid site, as well as Finaid.org. I believe you will find both quite useful.
Some private colleges also require the CSS/Profile form, which can be accessed online through The College Board. This is a two-step process. You must first register with the College Board. Then you will receive an application which you must complete and submit. The Profile form can be started prior to January 1st. Also be aware that there are fees involved in both steps with the Profile. And while you are visiting the College Board, check out these useful tools:
Some colleges will also have their own financial aid forms that must be submitted. Remember though that all of these forms go to different places, and deadlines vary from school to school. So don't procrastinate, and don't wait until your college applications are sent out before you start worrying about financial aid.
If you haven't started looking for scholarships, you are already behind your classmates who have started. You should begin searching during your junior year at the latest! One important thing to remember with scholarships: NEVER PAY ANYONE TO HELP YOU LOOK FOR SCHOLARSHIPS! The Fedral Trade Commission warns that there are many scholarship scams out there that prey on vulnerable panicking folks like you, promising they will earn you more money than you pay them. You can search for scholarships just as effectively on your own for free, so you can save your money for college, proms, concert tickets, etc! After all, you are searching for financial aid to earn money, not spend it.
Please feel free to Email me with your financial aid questions or to give me feedback about this page.
Try some of the links below. I think you will find them useful.
Useful sites for Financial Aid and Scholarships:
Fast Web- Free Scholarship Search (make this your first stop!)
Scholarship Network Resource Express
Scholarship Page Search
Princeton Review (has a scholarship search)
Mass. Education Financing Authority
Sallie Mae Loan Service
FAFSA Online
Get Your PIN For FAFSA
College Board (for CSS/Profile)
Department of Ed. Help
Finaid.org website
Wired Scholar
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