Scholarship,Financial Aid is Waiting for You
In 2007-2008, tuition at independent colleges averaged nearly $24,000 a year; public university tuition was about a quarter of that (for in-state students), and community college tuition cost most students a little under $2,500 annually.
In fact, college costs are increasing at between 4% and more than 6% annually, but the good news is that financial aid is increasing as well.
Some of that aid can probably be yours.
Approximately 67% of students receive federal aid. It comes in the form of grants and loans. The average student attending a two-year institution received more than $2,000 in such aid in 2007-2008. Student at four-year publics got about $3,600, and students attending four-year privates raked in, on average, $9,300 in federal aid.
The exact amount of federal grants and subsidized loans for which an individual student is eligible is determined by a formula which uses the information provided on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form all applicants for aid are required to complete.
Scholarships and grants available from states, colleges, universities, and civic organizations also require a student to complete the FAFSA, so be sure to do so prior to the deadlines.
Individual college and university financial aid offices can assist students in applying for federal, state, and other kinds of financial aid. And, there are many good scholarship information and search sites online. A simple search for "college scholarships" will yield dozens of such sites.
When filling out your FAFSA, you'll be asked to provide information on income and assets. If you are a dependent student, you'll also need to answer questions about your parents' finances. Either way, the questions are very straightforward.
Although you can fill out a paper version of the FAFSA, completing the online version offers several advantages, especially if updates or corrections become necessary.
That's really all there is to applying for financial aid. So, don't put it off. If you meet all deadlines, you'll find the process surprisingly smooth and easy.
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