Paying the Costs of College
Paying the Costs of College
Unlike public high schools which are free, even public colleges have tuition costs, student fees, books, materials, and room/board (housing). However, college can be paid for using, grants, scholarships, loans, personal/family contributions, and work-study.
Grants
Grants are funds that are typically need-based that do not have to be paid back so long as you follow through with your commitment. In other words, you should take advantage of all grants (and scholarships) that are available to you so you do not have to go into debt. However, if you enroll in school and use your grant funds to pay for a computer or housing, but then you exit the school before taking any classes, you would owe that grant money back.
The most popular and common grants are the Pell, FSEOG, ACG, SMART and TEACH Grants. Because the Pell, FSEOG, and ACG Grants are processed through your college or university based on your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), and FAFSA is a high school graduation requirement in LA, we will take some time to focus on that.
FAFSA
Scholarships
SE LA Scholarships:
The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) is an award for students of Louisiana who plan on attending a public school and gives from $2,000-$3,000. The only requirements are that you meet U.S. citizenship and Louisiana residency requirements, have attained an overall GPA of 2.5, achieve a minimum ACT score of 20 or SAT score of 1050, and intend to complete 24 credits every year.https://mylosfa.la.gov/students-parents/scholarships-grants/tops/the-tops-opportunity-award/
The Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) New Orleans Chapter awards scholarships from $1,000 to $10,000 for LGBTQIA+ students as well as allies. Applicants must live in Louisiana, be accepted at an accredited post-secondary school, be age 17 or older, maintain good academic standing, and actively advocate for LGBT equality rights: https://www.pflagno.org/scholarships.html
The Louisiana GO Grant is a scholarship that you can use if you have applied for FAFSA and received the Pell Grant and still need financial aid. They offer awards from $300-$3,000 yearly. https://mylosfa.la.gov/students-parents/scholarships-grants/go-grant/
The Choice Neighborhood Initiatives is a scholarship program that offers $2,000 provided by the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), open to any students who live in public housing, or whose families utilize section 8. http://www.hano.org/CNIScholarshipProgram/Apply.aspx
- Monthly Scholarships:
Monthly scholarships are scholarships that reward one or more people with a reward every month. While the reward generally isn’t a lot ($500-$1000), because there are so many monthly scholarships and you can just reapply to the same ones each month, the money you can receive can go toward other expenses, or you can let the money stack and hopefully pay for your whole semester! These are just some examples of monthly scholarships, but if these aren’t for you there are hundreds more you could apply to!
Course Hero Scholarship: Course Hero is an organization that gives students $5,000 a year until graduation, and they offer scholarship opportunities every month. https://www.coursehero.com/scholarships/
The “You Deserve It” Scholarship is offered by Scholarship Owl (another good resource for researching scholarships) and the only requirements are that you are or are going to be enrolled in college in 3 months, you must be 16 or older, and you must live in the U.S. https://scholarshipowl.com/awards/you-deserve-it-scholarship
Scholarship Points is a website that not only offers resources to search for scholarships, but one that offers 3 monthly scholarships each with a reward of $1,000. In order to use ScholarshipPoints, you can play games or take surveys to accumulate points, and you can use those points to apply for their scholarships. https://www.scholarshippoints.com/
- Scholarships By Major:
A lot of people don’t know there are scholarships you can apply to based on what field you’re studying. This is a good thing because if for instance, you are an art major and the scholarships you apply to require a work of yours, it may be easier than, say, writing an essay. Also, some institutions may offer full rides based on major. Linked below are directories that allow you to search for thousands of scholarships related to your major.
- Easy Scholarships:
The main roadblock that stops people from applying to scholarships are the essays a lot of them require, so here’s a list of scholarships that don’t require an essay! These are just examples of what to look for, so remember to get out there and look for more! (Because these don’t require a lot they might seem more appealing to you. That’s how a lot of people feel, so there will be a lot of applicants to these. It is nice to check up on them every once in a while but you shouldn’t rely on getting the reward for these.)
The Niche $2,000 scholarship is applicable to anyone. No GPA requirement, no essay. Just sign up and you’re automatically entered! https://www.niche.com/colleges/scholarship/no-essay-scholarship/
The GoSkills scholarship is only applicable to female business students, and all you need to do in order to apply is provide a mapped out business plan and answer a few questions about yourself. https://www.goskills.com/Scholarship?sscid=51k4_em496&utm_source=ShareASale&utm_medium=314743&utm_campaign=894597
- Scholarship Search Engines:
Below are resources that make it easy to look for scholarships, regardless of whether or not you’re looking for full rides, scholarships that don’t require essays, scholarships by major, or monthly scholarships.