FAFSA & Other Resources
GOVERNMENTAL:
FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid (An office of the U.S. Department of Education)
Federal Student Aid - Minds can achieve anything. We make sure they get to college. At Federal Student Aid, we make it easier to get money for higher education.
Financial Aid Toolkit - Help students and parents prepare for college or career school. The Financial Aid Toolkit provides federal student aid information and outreach tools for counselors, college access professionals, nonprofit mentors, and others.
Has Your School Closed? Here's What To Do. - If your college or career/trade school closed while you were enrolled, or soon after you withdrew, we can help. For each school listed, we’ve provided information outlining options such as:
- transferring to another school,
- obtaining your academic transcripts,
- determining whether you qualify for a discharge of your federal student loans (and how to apply for a discharge), and
- contacting your loan servicer for assistance.
Home Room - The Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Education. There are countless ads online from companies offering to help you manage your student loan debt…for a fee, of course. But, did you know that you can get help with your student loans for free? If you’re a federal student loan borrower, the U.S. Department of Education provides free assistance to help:
- Lower Your Monthly Payment;
- Consolidate Your Loans;
- See If You Qualify For Loan Forgiveness; and
- Get Out of Default
TERC (Testing and Education Reference Center) is a start-to-finish resource with all the information and support materials needed to make informed, confident decisions to shape the rest of your life. Resources include over 300 practice tests and courses, dozens of ebooks containing valuable study material and practice tests, information on over 4,000 accredited schools, scholarship search featuring $8 billion in available scholarships, resume builder with over 1,000 brainstorming phrases to get you started, and career modules covering subjects from career change to salary negotiations.
ORGANIZATIONS:
Affordable Colleges Online - Many of America's top colleges have launched online degree programs. Investments in technology have allowed colleges to create affordable and flexible programs for students. Online classes have significantly improved over the past 10 years and are more respected and accepted by top academics.
Big Future - Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT and the Advanced Placement Program. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.
Nursing.org - Nursing.org's inspiration comes from real nurses and experiences. Our team of contributors comprises nurses who have influenced the nursing community through their passion, creativity and dedication.
On Line College Datebase - The College Database has updated tuition, enrollment, and accreditation data to ensure readers have the best and most reliable information out there. While this link is set up to take you to Indiana colleges, you can easily find information for every state.
Private Student Loans Guide - There are two types of educational loans—federal and private. Each of these have their own perks and downfalls but both can help students and their families pay for their higher education. It is important to understand both before determining which is best for you.
Student Loan Report - Provides unbiased coverage on the latest student loan news that may affect students and creates resources and guides for borrowers and their families so they make the best decisions when it comes to paying for college and repaying student debt.
Weird Scholarships - Weird Scholarships was founded by college students, for college students. It is dedicated to helping students reduce the costs of higher education through unique, and sometimes weird scholarships. All of the scholarship guides created on this website are property of Weird Scholarships.
COMMERCIAL:
Affordable Colleges - Our mission is to help you earn your degree without taking on thousands of dollars in debt. Our site is a free resource designed to help everyone address the costs of college while pursuing their goals. We can show you the path to a reasonably priced higher education.
Affordable Online Colleges - More than ever before, students are choosing to attend college online. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than two million college students are enrolled in entirely online degree programs.
BestColleges.com - We seek to empower students by providing the information needed to make informed higher education decisions. Through proprietary research, we build user-friendly guides and rankings that lead students of all ages on their personal path to a college degree. We are dedicated to helping students find the school that best meets their needs.
Best Scholarship Search Platforms - Scholarships are one of the best ways to reduce growing college costs and scholarship search platforms exist to help students find the most relevant ones. These platforms compile large databases of available scholarships and provide filters to allow students to maximize their searches.
Chegg - Began as a student job and textbook-trading website but today has great student resources and loads of scholarship resources to search though.
CollegeNet - Use CollegeNET's five key internet admissions services to help yourself get into college and change the world.
EduTrek - A comprehensive and neutral college search engine; information on test prep, dates, etc., for ACT, SAT, GRE, & LSAT.
FastWeb - Maybe the biggest of these sites, with over a billion dollars in scholarships listed. Fastweb is an acronym for Financial Aid Search Through the WEB.
Homeless and low income student resources - Tuition is often a major obstacle to low-income students, but it is not the only significant cost. Housing, meals, transportation, textbooks and school supplies, and health care also must be managed. Fortunately, there are many resources available to defray costs for low-income students.
SmartScholar - Whether you’re a student or a parent, it’s important to go in with eyes wide open and to consult only trustworthy resources in your research. Use the trusted sites in this guide to help you navigate the FAFSA and the world of federal student aid.
Universities.com - An online college prep resource providing university rankings, tuition costs and in depth information on more than 8,000 colleges and universities. They also publish numerous guides and articles on everything from campus safety to choosing the right major.