Finding sources of aid for college, as well as actually obtaining the money can be pretty challenging and just downright confusing. However, there are many college financial aid services out there to help you get the aid you need, while at the same time making it as stress-free as possible. Here are a few resources that would be considered forms of college financial aid services that can be of some assistance to you:
Scholarships
There is tons of scholarship money available out there, and it’s money that you don’t have to pay back. While filling out applications and writing essays for scholarships is time consuming, it is definitely worth the time and effort to try to get monetary rewards.
Loans
There are many different kinds of loans offered by the federal government, state governments, private companies, etc.
Military Aid
If you are interested in joining the military but also want to go to school, the military offers great financial aid programs, such as ROTC, that allows you to go to school along with training for a military position and getting paid at the same time.
Financial Aid Applications
The two most common financial aid applications are the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, which many colleges require you fill out. These will tell you how much financial aid you are eligible to receive, so you can plan your payment plans accordingly.
Financial Aid Advisors/Consultants
If all of these sources of financial aid seem like a lot of work being thrown at you, you should definitely consider finding a financial aid advisor or consultant to help you with the process of getting aid for school. These professionals will complete most of the paperwork for you, and guide you step by step through the financial aid processes, so you can be sure to have everything completed correctly and efficiently.
Online Calculators
If you want to figure out your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) before even filling out the FAFSA form, there are FAFSA Calculators available online that can give you a base estimate of what this amount will be, so you will know around how much this amount would come out to on the FAFSA before even filling it out. There are also practice FAFSAs online that you can fill out before you fill out the actual document, which will show you all the information you will need to provide on the FAFSA itself.
