How to get free money for college?
I'm a CareerVillage staff member and I'm posting this because we know that many young people are looking for the answer to this question. This is among the most popular questions searched by youth, and we're hoping you will take a moment to share your response to it. Thank you! #college #financial-aid #scholarships #aid
Things you can consider for this specific question...
What financial options are available to pay for college?
Where can you find scholarships?
What kinds of scholarships are there?
How do you find scholarships specific to you?
How to do stay organized when you apply to an overwhelming number of scholarships?
2 answers
Gwyneth’s Answer
While there are many resources for scholarships and aid, one that I have seen often overlooked are the scholarships offered by Community Foundations - most cities have a community foundation that hosts hundreds of scholarship funds on behalf of donors - they have a wide range of focus areas and some are often very general or simply geographic - in my hometown of Pittsburgh for example, The Pittsburgh Foundation manages a very robust scholarship program.
Gwyneth recommends the following next steps:
Ellen’s Answer
Hi!
It's definitely possible to pull together resources that can provide free money for college. It's likely you'll need to put multiple together, from multiple places.
In addition to local resources that may be available based on your community and identity (think foundations, religious or community organizations, local businesses, or civic groups, professional associations related to your field of interest, your employer or your parents’ employers), the Department of Labor has an online database of national scholarships and grants.
You can find it here: https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx
You can also look up your state grant agency here, where you may be able to find local grants, on this Department of Education site:
https://www2.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/index.html
It's really important to fill out a FAFSA - that will determine how much scholarship and grant money you can get from the state and the college you are considering attending. Full it out ASAP after it opens!
There are also programs, like Americorps, that provide an educational grant award for those who complete a year of service.
It's likely you'll need to put grant money for college together like a pan of lasagna: lots of layers, so apply to lots of opportunities.
More info here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/finding-scholarships
Hope that helps!