FINANCIAL AID and SCHOLARSHIPS blue%20pen.jpg

(See FREE Guides at bottom of page!)

student.jpgHaving little or no money should not stop you or your children from going to college. There are grants, loans and scholarships to help you reach educational goals. Grants and scholarships are gifts and are not repaid. Even if you think you won’t qualify, go ahead and apply because it is free to complete the FAFSA and you may be surprised to find out you qualify for some form of financial aid.

Types of Aid:

  • Need based is calculated based on financial information from you and, if you are a dependent, from your total household income. Grants and some subsidized loans are provided based on your financial need. To determine your award, a formula that includes the Cost of attendance is taken into consideration, including tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies, transportation and other expenses.
  • The U.S. Department of Education provides Pell Grants, Smart Grants, Academic Competitiveness Grants, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Work Study (FWS), Federal Family Loan (FFEL), Federal Stafford Loan (subsidized and unsubsidized), Direct Subsidized Loans, Plus Loans, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan Program). All of these are need based with the exception of unsubsidized loans and the Direct Subsidized Loans.
  • There are limits on the amount of loans you can receive per semester and during your undergraduate education. If the loan is subsidized, the government will pay your interest rate during the time that you are a student (there will be a minimum number of hours you will have to be attending in good standing). Payment will not start until six months after you graduate.
  • Work-study provides students with a part-time job on campus, and a student can work until their awarded work study award have been earned.
  • Merit based is awarded on skills and talents (music, art, athletic, etc.). Students should check with their college financial aid office and their college program department for grant applications and deadlines.
  • Scholarships and merit based financial aid can be found by going to your financial aid office, but there are also many books and resources that can be purchased or checked out from your library that provide lists and criteria for awards. Peterson's Guide  (Under Pay for School tab) and The Princeton Review have on-line scholarship search tools.  The U.S. Department of Education provides a database of scholarships. Also, see the recommended Financial Aid resources below.

Financial Aid Resources:

There is a great deal of information regarding Financial Aid that goes beyond the scope of this website, but the first place to start is to fill out a Free Financial Aid Student Application (FAFSA) to determine if you qualify. It can be done on-line and it’s free! Just go to www.fafsa.ed.gov. You will then receive a Student Aid Report (SAR), which is also sent to the colleges you request it to go to. The report will indicate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC is the amount that your family is able to contribute towards your college costs and expenses. The FAFSA4Caster can be a helpful tool to help forecast your EFC. Go to www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov and try it out! If you feel that there are special circumstances that were not considered in your application, contact the financial aid officer at the University. They can examine your circumstance and determine if your award should be adjusted. For instance, your father may have had a great job last year but is currently unemployed. Or, your family might have had unexpected medical expenses. Don’t be afraid to explain your situation to the Financial Aid Director on your campus to determine if the award can be reevaluated.

After you apply, the Financial Aid Administrator (FAA) requests a Financial Aid Transcript to see previous awards and to make sure you are not over your financial aid limits or that you are not in default. Once you receive your results, you will be provided with a financial aid award letter from the University you would like to attend showing if you will be awarded any grants, loans, or work study. It will also estimate your cost to attend that University.

You can determine which part of the award you will accept. You can determine if you want to accept the loans or work study awards.

If you are working, check with your employer to see if they offer any type of financial aid reimbursement plan.

There are many places to go to find out great detailed information about Financial Aid. Be careful with websites or services that require you to pay a fee to obtain lists of scholarships. There are plenty of quality resources out there. Here are a few places for you to get started to learn more.

U.S. Department of Education www.studentaid.ed.gov

  • Mapping Your Future (Step by step guide for college planning from middle school through adulthood.  It includes helpful information on financial aid and student loans)
  • College is Possible  (provided by the American Council on Education, includes resources about paying, preparing and choosing a college.  Information is also available in Spanish).
  • Adventures in Education (College Planning, financial aid and career information, etc.  It is provided by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation and is a helpful resource even if you are not from Texas!) 
  • College Answer (provided by SallieMae, includes resources about financial aid, selecting a college, preparing for college, etc.)
  • College Savings Plans Network (Start saving early for your child's education!  This website provides information about 529 savings plan and provides comparison information.)
  • U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs (GI Bill information, New Student Association to help with issues faced by student veterans, etc.)
  • Visit the College Financial Aid Office.  They often have a on-line research tool you can use to find scholarships based on different criteria.
  • Visit the College campus department you plan to attend (i.e., College of Business, College of Liberal Art, etc.)
  • Check out Books and Resources on Scholarships and Financial Aid at your local library or bookstore.

Free Financial Aid Guides:


A comprehensive 55 page FREE step by step guide!  Download the pdf file by clicking the link below!