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Universities often have monies available to finance scholarships for students, but they are certainly not the only place to secure these much coveted gift monies. Just as universities use scholarships as a way to attract and keep a certain segment of students, private organizations often have scholarship funds set up to ensure that the segment of the population they are invested in can go to college as well. Below, we will look at what kind of private scholarships are available, how to find them, and how to secure them.

What Kinds of Private Scholarships are Available? While it might seem surprising, almost every kind of scholarship exists that can be imagined. There are private scholarship funds set up by feminist groups for working mothers, ones set up by firefighters for the children of firefighters, scholarships for children of Vietnam Veterans, for first generation immigrants, etc. If you can think of it, a scholarship probably exists.
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While loans, grants, and work-study are helpful in assisting you with financing your college education, they are not the only way to go about doing this. Scholarships–academic, special circumstance, and athletic–are also available to assist you. There are two main types of scholarships: university scholarships and private scholarships. Below, we will look at university scholarships.

University scholarships are monies awarded through your college or university that you do not have to pay back. Universities use these monies to attract and keep students who have certain characteristics they wish to have within their collegiate community. There are three main types of scholarships available through universities. (more…)

If you need financial assistance for school, the FAFSA is the place to start. Loans and grants are awarded based on your responses, but you can also opt for work-study monies. These are monies that you are allotted based on working a minimal number of hours for an office of your university. Work study is often a great alternative to loans, as you do not have to pay these monies back.

In order to be eligible for work-study programs, you must fill out a FAFSA. On the FAFSA, there is a question which asks if you are interested in work-study. Check yes. If, based on the FAFSA’s calculations, you are deemed eligible you will be contacted by your university’s work study office and given a list of potential jobs you can accept. Pick one that suits your needs and your schedule and get started!
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While we have spent the past few blogs exploring the world of federal loans awarded through the FAFSA, it is important to also spend some time on other monies available to students via the FAFSA; monies that do not have to be repaid upon graduation. These typically fall into two categories: work-study and grants. This post will look at the most frequently awarded and coveted grant: the Pell grant.

Unlike Stafford loans, the Pell Grant is money awarded by the government that does not have to be repaid. It is typically awarded to low-income undergraduate students pursuing their first degree, although in some cases it is awarded to students pursuing secondary degrees. This money is looked upon as a “gift”.
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Loans are a hard, cold fact for most college students. Most students today do not have the financial means to put themselves through college and many do not have families who are in a position to help them. Because of this, more and more students are relying on loans awarded based on their responses to the FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid). Loans awarded based on these responses are known as Stafford loans and there are two types. The first is unsubsidized, which we have already explained. The second type is subsidized, which we will look at further.

Subsidized Stafford loans are monies awarded to you as a student based on your personal financial need. This need is calculated from your responses to the FAFSA and take into account your current income level, your parents’ income (if you are under 24), the cost of the college or university you are attending, and the cost of living. Because these loans are based on financial need, interest is not charged until after your deferment period is over.
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