Maximize your chances for Financial Aid

Students and their parents who begin their search for college financial aid information as soon as possible will have a better idea of what aid they are eligible to receive and how they may obtain it.  This includes scholarships for college, grants, fellowships, federal work study, and student loans (In that order). In fact, students and parents who start early have more access to free financial aid than students who wait until the last minute to apply.


Do You Have A College Fund For Your Child? Its Never Too Early To Start.

 Financial aid is widely available. The majority of students, however, reduce the amount of aid they’re eligible to receive by not searching enough, or by looking in the wrong places. Here are a few places you want to be sure to look:

• High school guidance counselors and career centers
• State agencies for higher education
• Colleges or universities you are interested in attending
• The library
• Churches and youth organizations
• African American organizations, such as NAACP, Urban League, etc
• Your parents’ companies or organizations
• National and local foundations, such as 4-H, Rotary, YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Women’s Auxiliary, American Legion, etc.
• U.S. Armed Forces veteran’s benefits (if one or both of your parents is a veteran)
• Occupational interests
• The Internet and various online programs

The best way to maximize your chances for aid is to keep yourself open to everything. Your eligibility to receive grants, scholarships, and college admission is influenced in part by your activities, involvement, and academic achievement during high school. To increase your eligibility, you need to:

• Keep up your grades
• Become familiar with all types of financial aid available
• Learn how to receive aid from all sources (federal, state, and private scholarship funds)
• Estimate the entire cost of an under graduate education
• Determine the amount of money you need to contribute to your education
• Construct and follow a detailed financial aid plan
• Becoming involved with extracurricular activities, working part-time and/or volunteering for community service.
• Take the PSAT/NMSQT; this test qualifies you for National Merit Scholarship consideration, through which over 30 million dollars is awarded annually.

Participation in any of these activities will increase your eligibility for scholarships, grants, and loans.