March 31, 2015 3:49 pm
Published by Charlie Parker
Photo credit: via ED.gov
Students who want to apply for government grants, loans, work-study programs, and scholarships can ask for help from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.
Federal Student Aid provides financial assistance to students to help pay for higher education. The agency is responsible for operating student financial assistance programs accredited by the Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, has developed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have allocated federal student aid funds to millions of students each year.
In order to be considered for financial aid, students must completely fill out the FAFSA form. Completing the FAFSA is your first step towards getting into college, career or trade school, or graduate school.
The FAFSA form is used by college students and their parents to apply and to determine if they qualify for financial aid from the federal government. FAFSA forms are also used by schools in determining if you qualify for scholarships that they are offering. Some scholarship programs use completed FAFSA applications to determine applicant eligibility.
Students or their parents are required to complete the FAFSA each year so as to account for changes that may occur in the family’s earnings. For instance, if your parents have gotten pay raises from $30,000 to $300,000 per year, the federal government will no longer offer family financial aid because of your family’s income status.
But if the household income drops, completing the FAFSA means you’ll be eligible for more financial assistance in the coming year.
Completing and submitting FAFSA application forms is free and quick, and it provides you access to the largest source of financial aid to fund your college tuition fees.
Why do you need to fill out the FAFSA?
You might miss out on a lot of financial aid if you don’t fill out the FAFSA. Just because your parents make more money, or you’re too old doesn’t mean you can’t be eligible for financial aid.
When can you fill out the FAFSA?
The FAFSA is available each year in early January. However, there are different deadlines set for each programs.
It’s advisable to file a FAFSA application immediately as it becomes available since some federal aid student programs have limited funds.
How do you fill out the FAFSA?
Here are ways on how to do it:
Visit www.fafsa.gov for faster and easier transaction
For a printed FAFSA, you can download a PDF FAFSA or order a paper FAFSA.
You can also ask your school’s financial aid office if you can file it there. Some schools have special software to send your FAFSA for you.
What is a FAFSA pin?
When filling out the FAFSA online, it’s required that you create a virtual account and get a FAFSA pin. This pin will assist you in completing the form and will continue to be used every time you apply for college grants or student loans.
What happens after filling out the FAFSA?
After you have applied, your FAFSA has yet to be processed. Then, you will receive an Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which your school uses to determine how much funds you can get.
March 6, 2015 7:20 pm
Published by Charlie Parker
Having money is one of the most important components in order to survive and fund the basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, accommodation and education. When it comes to funding higher educational expenses, however, many college students across the United States find it virtually impossible to pay for education. Such education costs can rise up to more than $30,000 per year, where students hustle to balance full- or part-time jobs and studies.
Financially struggling college students have turned to government grants to fund their educational expenses since it’s the only way they can afford to go to a college or university. And it’s not only fresh college students who benefit from a slew of government programs designed to finance education costs, but also those who are completing baccalaureate or masters degrees.
The federal government offers various types of education grants to help students and their families experiencing financial shortage. These types of grants are also geared for outstanding students who have excelled academically.
For students who have huge dreams and career goals but are financially lacking can benefit from government education grants to provide them the support and mentorship they need in order to make them successful. Students can count on funding opportunities such as federal grants, scholarships, loans and other work-study programs.
Grants
The U.S. Department of Education provides many federal grant programs to students who are attending four-year colleges or universities, community colleges, career and trade schools.
These grants include Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grants, and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants.
Almost all of the grants are given to those students with uttermost financial need. If you are interested in applying for grants, you can start by completing and submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Scholarships
Scholarships are in monetary form that is awarded to students based on their academic achievements and financial status. These scholarships help students pay for their education expenses and are not generally repaid.
There are thousands of scholarships, which are not hard to find. They’re available from all different types of organizations. Students may be able to obtain a scholarship for being an excellent student, a great athlete, or a member of a certain church or faith-based community, or because parents work for a particular company. You may also try to avoid scholarship scams.
Loans
The U.S. Department of Education offers two federal student loan programs that include
- The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program: the largest federal student loan program, where the U.S. Department of Education is the lender. The loan program offers four kinds of direct loans: Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Direct Consolidation Loans.
- The Federal Perkins Loan Program: focuses on financially backing undergraduates and graduate students. It’s a school-based loan program, where the school is the lender.
Before taking out a loan, ensure that you understand that loans are legal obligations and you are accountable for repayment with interest rates. You might not have to repay your federal student loans just yet, but bear in mind your responsibilities as a borrower and keep track of the amount you are borrowing and whether you’ll be able to make due repayments.
