College is expensive. Tuition is at an all time high and continues to rise at a rate many times that of inflation. Books for a class term can cost hundreds of dollars. Add to that lab fees and other expenses along the way and your college bill can be imposing.
Part of the reason that the degree is important to employers is that it shows that you have the commitment and problem solving abilities to make it all the way to graduation. But as you are working your plan, the money that you counted on to get there just isn’t enough to cover the expenses of a twenty first century college education.
Federal funds are also available and fairly easy to get at. In recent years, the Federal government consolidated the application process for nearly all of their financial aid programs into a single form: The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This form can be filled out on line and once submitted, will allow you to access money from a variety of Federal grants and student loan programs.
One way to get your education and avoid student loan debt is to go after scholarships. Yes, they are available to people like you. Both Federal and private sector programs exist that you can take advantage of Federal financial aid is easy to access through the FAFSA web site. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is the gateway into nearly all of Federal Student Aid programs. By filling out this single application you are in the running for your share of millions of dollars of Federal financial aid through a variety of programs and sources. Two things to remember about the FAFSA application.
If you still do not have enough money to go to school, your schools financial aid office may have some programs available. In addition to scholarships, there are also work study programs that allow you to get paid for working in your chosen field.
Many times late submissions of scholarship and the FAFSA can cause you to miss out on scholarship money or get a lower amount than you otherwise could have. This is also a problem that can be solved. Make scholarship application your new part time job. Make sure that all of your paperwork is in on time and even early. That way, you will have a better chance of getting at that scholarship money.
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