- Financial aid can and does come in many forms. Financial aid ranges from the support offered through the U.S. Department of Education through athletic, leadership and private scholarships.
- It usually is not who you know, but where you go.
- To help in this area, we have a list of major web locations for you to go to research your college financing. * Start with the FAFSA.
- Go online.
Everything you and your family do in this area should start with the Federal Student Aid offered by the U.S. Department of Education at their web site: www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Virtually every student and family in the U.S. qualify for some form of Federal Student Aid. Next, you want to go to sites that offer help in identifying potential scholarships. Remember two things:
1. Usually if you have to pay money to get money (e.g., a scholarship) it is not a good deal or above board, and;
2. Identifying and finding scholarships is similar to promoting yourself to coaches... it takes time, a plan and follow-through. You will apply for a lot of scholarships and receive few, but the ones you receive will be a big help in financing your college education.
The largest scholarship search engine is called FastWeb and their web site is www.fastweb.com. Sign up with them and request automatic updates from all sponsors. You’ll be surprised at how many scholarships you qualify for. Now it’s just a question of you putting in the effort.