Even if you haven't heard back from your colleges, it's time to think about paying for college. If you're new to this discussion, you need to come up to speed in a hurry:
Step 1: Understand Paying for College
These links will give you the big picture:
- "Understanding College Costs" is from the newly redesigned financial aid website for the U.S. government. They took about 16 different government sites geared towards paying for college and boiled them down into this one comprehensive, elegant page. This is the article to start with.
Step 2: See How Much College Might Really Cost
By federal law, each college must post a net price calculator to its website to give an estimate of costs to attend that college. They aren't always easy to find, but go to the college's website, search "net price calculator," and follow the directions from there. Here are some samples:
Step 3: Apply for Financial Aid
Even if you're certain you won't qualify, most colleges won't give you college cash unless they first know the government won't pay for college for you.
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) takes you to an introduction to the first form you'll fill out, including...
Step 4: Private Scholarships
Many families want to know where they can find the "millions of dollars of unclaimed scholarships" everyone talks about. Many of these privately funded scholarships are posted on the websites below -- but as you search, keep two things in mind:
1.Many of these scholarships require the student to write an essay, and most students aren't all that interested in writing essays once they've applied to college, which is part of the reason some scholarships go unclaimed. Allow ample time for motivation before the deadline.
2.If a scholarship is online, there's a good chance you aren't the only one to know about it, so don't count on these scholarships to be your sole source of college funding -- make sure you apply for scholarships and aid through your colleges.
Some of the more popular scholarship sites include: Cappex, College Board, Fast Web, MeritAid (for merit scholarships -- but be sure to double-check the college's website to make sure these scholarships are still offered), Zinch and a site where you can search by major.
Step 5: Make Sure you Understand Loan Repayment
The time to understand just what a college loan involves is before you take one. Read this loan information closely.