Pay+for+college

So you've chosen your college. Now you just need to pay for it!

Ever bought a candy bar? Then you can pay for college... The steps are the same.

1. How much money do you have? //(OK, not much...)// 2. Will someone give you the candy bar? (//Please mom, pretty please?)// 2. How much money can you borrow? (//This time, you might have to ask someone other than your dad or grandma//) 3. What options do you have at what prices? (//My favorite candy bars and colleges aren't even the most expensive//)

//Seriously, now//. It's a wee bit more complicated.

Ask your parents to help you fill out the [|FAFSA form]. The sooner you do this in your senior year of high school, the better. The __FAFSA will tell you how much your family should expect to pay for your college__, based on a whole bunch of factors including your parents' income and net worth and the number of children in your family.

You'll want to check in with the __admissions counselors at the colleges you're looking into__.
 * What's the tuition and cost of living on campus?
 * What kind of financial aid do they offer?
 * Will you qualify for any grants or scholarships?
 * How much money can you borrow?

Then, check in with other organizations you or members of your family belong to. __Churches, schools, employers, unions, and many other organizations__ offer some college scholarships. It can't hurt you to apply.

Now that you've figured out how to pay for your education, read some tips on succeeding at college.

Additional Resources
[|The College Board Getting Financial Aid 2008 (College Board Guide to Getting Financial Aid)]. This book is a step-by-step guide to getting financial aid in the form of federal aid, scholarships unique to individual colleges, scholarships focused on the special interests and activities of students, and more! [|How to Go to College Almost for Free by Ben Kaplan]. Ben Kaplan received $90,000 in scholarship funds and now offers his guidance for other students looking for finanacial aid. [|Fastweb]. This FREE scholarship search website can make personalized scholarship matches, lists part-time jobs and internships for students, and gives side-by-side college comparisons. This site claims to be the nation's "largest, most accurate, and most frequently updated scholarship database online."

Go to college :: Choose a college : Pay for college : Succeed at college