Paying For School

State and Federal Sources of Financial Aid Funds

The federal government provides $33 billion in grant aid to post-secondary education students annually. The aid comes in several forms:

Need-based federal aid:

	Federal Pell Grants
	Federal Subsidized Stafford Loans
	Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
	Federal Work Study
	Perkins Loans

Financing options:

	Federal PLUS loans (also known as Direct Plus Loans)
	Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loans (Also known as Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans)
	Other parent loans
	Alternative Student Loans

In order to receive a grant from the federal program, your college must qualify to administer these grants. Check with your school’s financial aid department to be sure your school is a qualified participant. The internet site where you can fill out your “Free Application for Federal Student Aid”, (FAFSA), http://www.fafsa.ed.gov, provides great information about federal grant programs.

MyFSA is an online account that provides students with access to college and scholarship searches, career and self-assessment tools, and other valuable resources regarding college and financial aid. Students can set up MyFSA accounts by visiting www.studentaid.ed.gov and clicking on "MyFSA." To learn how to use and take advantage of MyFSA's various functions, students can click on "Introduction to MyFSA."

FAFSA4caster is an online tool that helps students and parents determine their current eligibility for federal student aid. Students are encouraged to check out www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov to learn how much aid they would receive if they applied today.

Check with your state’s higher education authority to see what kind of assistance is available. Many states provide excellent scholarships and grants and often have special categories of award for women going back to school, minorities, and people with disabilities. Be sure to follow all application procedures and deadlines. Many colleges will not make up for state grants lost to students though late applications. Additionally, many states and private colleges administer need-based institutional funds which help round out financial aid awards.

Information Overload

The categories described on this page represent thousands of scholarships and billions of dollars in financial aid. Your job is to make your way through the maze of information and options and in doing so, create a scholarship application plan that gives you the highest probability of success with the best scholarship matches available.

Wisconsin TIP Grant. Financial Need, Non-Traditional/Disadvantaged. $600 - $1000.
2007 Scholarship.com. Various scholarships/ amounts,/qualifications.
        Apply on-line: www.scholarships.com
Need A Lift College Financial Aid Handbook. Veteran Dependents, Various scholarships/
            amounts.    See Mrs. Grace-McKinley
The Christian Connector Inc. Drawing. $2,500. Apply on-line: www.christianconnector.com
www.cappex.com This is an awesome site with some great handout

www.mystudentedge.com This is a site created by Peterson's to help students with personalized college planning, SAT/ ACT/ PSAT prep as well as scholarships and financial aid assistance. StudentEdge also has scholarships that students can become eligible for just by logins to the site.

http://www.knowhow2gowisconsin.org/ is a site that offers college planning, free ACT/SAT prep and many other things just for students in the state of Wisconsin.

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