Paying for College

FAFSA Application is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov beginning October 1, 2022.

• First thing to remember:  FAFSA IS FREE!  Do not ever pay for it because we can help! 

• FAFSA application must be completed as soon as you and your parents complete taxes for the previous year.  Once this has occurred, you are ready to proceed. The earlier you apply, the better your chances of obtaining funding for college.  State monies have been extremely tight, so you want every advantage.  Get your taxes done as soon as possible each year that you are in college.  This is a process that must be completed each year!

• This application opens doors for grants (FREE $), work study (FREE $), and loans.  Loans can be in 3 categories:  Subsidized (no interest/no payments until student graduates), Unsubsidized (interest begins once loan money is disbursed, no payment until student graduates), or Direct Loans (a parent loan, payments begin once money is disbursed). 

• Please note:  You may think your family will not qualify for any free $ due to your income, however, EVERYONE should complete a FAFSA because there are scholarships that require this information before they will give you money.

Online Resources

• www.cfnc.org  - scholarships are NC only, which makes them less competitive.  Scholarships include those with career interest in science/health careers, as well as teaching.

• www.cfwnc.org - Scholarships are for Western North Carolina students only. 

• http://thencshp.org/resources/for-students/scholarships/  - this site is created by the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals and has useful information for all students.

• www.fastweb.org – search site that posts scholarships directly related to college choice and career interests.  Most are national or state scholarships, but still worthy of applications.  Many schools utilize this site, as well as, business and private organizations.

• www.zinch.com – similar in nature to fastweb.org, scholarships are directly related to college choice and career interest.

• www.scholarships.com   - One of the largest scholarship databases available to students that is updated daily. There is more than 2.7 million in scholarship along with 19 billion in grant opportunities.  

• College Websites - All colleges list scholarships on their Financial Aid portion of their websites.  Thorough investigation of scholarships can begin now at the college level for next year.  Some scholarships are applied for via the Admission Application, others require a separate application for specific school scholarships.

• www.FAFSA.org  -This site is home of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  Complete this form utilizing your prior prior year (2 years ago) tax information to qualify for Federal aid such as grants and loans. 

• www.chegg.com- Chegg is well known as an online bookstore for students but in 2011 acquired Zinch, a scholarship match service with over $1 billion in scholarships to offer. This site is easy to use and highlights opportunities for you. To top it off, Chegg also offers help with homework, test prep, internships, and tutoring.

• www.petersons.com - he Peterson’s databases includes over 50,000 accredited Schools and Programs, and over 5,000 Scholarships. There is over $10 billion in scholarship opportunities found on Peterson’s. This site also provides information to help you in your search, all you need to do is fill out a short survey and filter the results. The site also allows users to search by a variety of different topics, college types and personal details — in order to give you the best results for you.

• www.myredkite.com -This search engine requires a brief profile and instantly matches scholarships to each user based on profile. It also helps you keep track of application deadlines and requirements as well as keeps up with the awards you receive.

• www.unigo.com -Unigo allows students access to more than 3.6 million in scholarships, 650K College Reviews, College Stats & other options to help you pay for college. Get the scoop on your choice of schools from students themselves.