FAFSA (Federal Student Aid)

• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (The FAFSA).  Access the FAFSA application and obtain information on each step needed to complete the process from the studentaid.gov web site.

MDCAPS - Maryland College Aid Processing System (Aid from the State of Maryland)

• The Maryland Higher Education Commission website has information on Maryland aid (including accepting aid with the MD CAPS account), information on the Pell Grant, Guaranteed Access Grant, state scholarships, and the Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship Program.

• MCPS Scholarship Opportunities (Searchable spreadsheet, MCPS-maintained)

• MCPS Scholarship Information Site (MCPS-recommended/maintained list of web-based scholarship search sites and resources)

• CareerOneStop Scholarship Finder (Sponsored by U.S. Department of Labor)

• Scholarships for Underserved and Unique Populations (MCPS-maintained)

Keep in mind...

Scholarships provide money that can help students pay for their college education. Different from loans, scholarships provide money that students and their families never have to pay back. Some scholarships are provided by private organizations while others are provided by colleges and universities. Scholarships are awarded to students who meet a variety of criteria, such as: limited financial resources, academic excellence, volunteer experience, plans to enter specific careers, or special talents or abilities.

Be wary of scholarship scams that often imitate legitimate government agencies, grant-giving foundations, education lenders, and scholarship services. (If you have to pay money to get money, it's probably a scam.)