Need money to help pay for college?
There are generally two types of aid available to students and families to assist in funding their college education. Need-based aid is determined by completing the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Federal student aid from the U.S. Department of Education is the largest source of aid in America, providing grants, work-study, and federal loans for students attending four-year colleges or universities, community colleges, and career schools. Additionally, some colleges award institutional aid based on a students level of 'need' as determined by completing the FAFSA. In addition to need-based aid, the second way for students to qualify for assistance in paying for college is through merit-based aid or scholarships. Generally speaking the largest amount of scholarship money a student will receive will come directly from the colleges they apply to (internal scholarships).
Seniors intending on applying for financial aid through the FAFSA will need to register for a PIN. The PIN serves as your identifier to let you access your personal information in various U.S. Department of Education systems. It's like the Personal Identification Number you get from your bank that enables you to access your account. You can register now even though the FAFSA is not available until January. Click here to obtain your pin # for filing your FAFSA: http://www.pin.ed.gov
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): You cannot submit the FAFSA until January 1st of your senior year.
Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES): provides Kentucky high school students with money for tuition and education-related expenses. Just earn a 2.5 GPA or better in each year of high school to get it.
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA): is a valuable source for information about college and career planning and student financial aid.
How Much Financial Aid Can You Expect?
Students no longer have to wait until the last year of high school to find out whether the government will help pay for college. Starting today, families can use the FAFSA to get an idea of whether seniors are eligible for federal aid. The free tool estimates what the U.S. expects the family to contribute towards college. The online calculator is based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is the starting point for most loans, grants, and scholarships.
Compare your financial aid awards
Fastweb is one of the leading scholarship providers available on the internet. They offer very large funding opportunities for students through scholarships, promotions, and even contests. This is a great website for students since they can apply for scholarships and explore different career choices. Parents are able to learn about the scholarship process and even get strategic tips to help their students. Fastweb also has a financial aid section that helps inform parents about the process of acquiring government funding for college.
FinAid has earned a stellar reputation in the educational community as the best web site of its kind. It's comprehensive, it's informative, it's objective -- and it's the first stop on the web for students looking for ways to finance their education.