Paying for College
Sometimes going to college just seems too expensive. Actually, it may cost less than you think. Financial aid, in the form of scholarships, grants and loans may offset many of the expenses. Here are the links to some of the most comprehensive websites and resources on student financial aid information. These sites can provide you with the information, advice and tools necessary to achieve your higher education goals.
- The Guide to Student Financial Aid – English and Spanish
- Mapping Your Future
- Student Budget Worksheets
- TEXAS Grant
- FinAid
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid
- U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Division
- College for Texans
- Tomorrow's College Investment Plan
- Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Association
- Black Students.com
- Black Excel
- The United Negro College Fund
- The Hispanic Scholarship Fund
- Scholarship Scams
Scholarships
There are several free scholarship databases available online. These databases are quick, easy and, most importantly, free. To find small local awards that aren’t listed in these broad databases, look for notices posted on bulletin boards at your school’s guidance office, the public library and outside the financial aid office at nearby colleges and universities. You can also search for scholarships using your favorite web search engine by including the word “scholarships” with your search keywords.
Free Scholarship Search Sites
- FastWeb Scholarship Search is a large, popular free scholarship search site, with more than 30 million registered users. It is also frequently updated and provides automatic email notification of new scholarships that match the student’s profile.
- College Board’s FUND FINDER scholarship database lists scholarships and other types of financial aid programs from 3,300 national, state, public and private sources. The database is updated annually.
- Scholarships.com database has good coverage of awards.
For more information on applying and paying for college, visit College for Texans.
