Student Financial Aid

Looking ahead to college is exciting, but preparing to pay for it is a real challenge. With the cost of higher education soaring, it's critical to assess every possible kind of help.

For anyone considering federal student loans, there's a bit of good news about future repayment interest rates.  Meanwhile, the US Department of Education offers two packages on student aid: Funding Your Education, a 20-page handbook, and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the standard financial aid application form. 

Even for younger kids, it's never too early to start saving.  The Massachusetts Educational Finance Authority offers guidance on various long-term plans -- from pre-paid tuition to Education IRAs.

Here are a few other links detailing aid from other federal, state and private sources:

New England Board of Higher Education
College Board
CollegeView
Peterson's Education Center
FastWEB Scholarship Sources
FinAid
Yahoo Financial Aid Search
The Education Resources Institute
Nellie Mae
Sallie Mae
CollegeNET

These sites can provide a personalized search for financial aid information; they provide valuable information to anyone who submits a free application for federal student aid.

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute-- Offers personalized financial aid searches

Project EASI (Easy Access for Students and Institutions)-- U.S. Department of Education site to assist families in educational planning and financing options

U.S. Department of Education-- An on-line form to complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) over the Internet.

The Financial Aid Information Page-- A free, comprehensive and independent guide to student financial aid

The Financial Aid search through the Web-- Offers personalized profiles matching skills, abilities, and interests to a database of over 375,000 scholarships

These are other sites that are helpful when planning a college education:

ScholarStuff Colleges and Universities

Independent Higher Education Network

The Women’s College Link Page

Community College Web

Complete and send your college applications on-line

CollegeNET (includes a scholarship search engine)

Educaid (a paid premium loan service, but contains valuable information about the student financial aid process, access to the web site is free)

Fastweb (search service in which students fill out an application and are matched with resources)

Internet College Exchange (a search engine of a database of over 5,000 institutions of higher learning)

Minority On-Line Information Services (resource assistance for Hispanic Serving Institutions and financial aid services)

National Hispanic Scholarship Fund (billed as the nation’s largest provider of scholarship information to Hispanics)

Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (primary guarantor of student loans in Texas; has extensive public information and scholarship information)

ScholarStuff Colleges and Universities

Independent Higher Education Network

The Women’s College Link Page

Community College Web

The Morris K. Udall Foundation - offers undergraduate scholarships to students who study environmental disciplines, and to Native American and Alaska Natives who study health care or tribal policy

National Association of Hispanic Journalists - $1,000-$5,000 scholarships for students demonstrating both an interest in pursuing a journalism career and financial need. (Applicants need not only be of Hispanic descent)

Complete and send your college applications on-line.