Naomi
How do I get my four years at my local college paid for?
I am still confused in how students get their whole 4 years paid for. I know you need to have good grades and everything but what is that one quality that a university might choose you for this opportunity? #tuition #scholarships
2 answers
Michael George
Michael’s Answer
Hello Naomi,
As a parent with four kids (2 graduated, 1 graduating this year, and 1 still in), my answer includes:
- Grants and Scholarships
- Parent funds
- Work
- Loans (FASFA, friends, family)
And in this order. Grants, Scholarships, and Parent Funds generally don't need to be paid back and are generally free ... go for them first. Work, work, work ... (either on or off campus). My second daughter was a resident adviser (RA) in the dorms for two years and the school paid her by not charging her tuition/room/board ... it was a HUGE savings for her and she had no loans for those years. My first son had a grant that covered 1/3 of his annual costs for 4 years ... huge savings. My other son worked and did minor loans. Our friends daughter, made getting grants and scholorships her full time job and pulled no loans (impressive).
My biggest advice though is if you do take out loans, then minimize them. They are loans and you have to pay them back ... you may think they are wonderful when you are in college and they give you more than you may need, which goes right into your bank account. But when you graduate and you find out that you have 5, 10, or more years to pay them off and with you 'entertainment money', you will cringe. So, try to work or use grants.
Best of luck!
Michael recommends the following next steps:
Nailah Ricco-Brown, J.D.
Nailah’s Answer
There are sooo many resources online for obtaining scholarships, and the good thing about many of them is that they allow you to filter out various aspects that may or may not apply to you. This allows you to directly identify the perfect fit for you, your academic career thus far, and your academic plans in the future!
Some websites I suggest are:
- The U.S. Federal Government's scholarship search: https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx
- Sallie Mae's scholarship search engine: https://www.salliemae.com/college-planning/tools/scholarship-search/
- Cappex/College Greenlight: https://www.cappex.com/scholarships
- Niche: https://www.niche.com/colleges/scholarships/
- Gates Millennium Scholars: www.gmsp.org
- Fast Web www.fastweb.com
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation www.jckf.org
- Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars www.jackierobinson.org
(The following are for highschoolers)
- Posse Foundation: www.possefoundation.org (Students must be nominated by school or community-based organization in 11th grade)
- Questbridge: www.questbridge.org (Applications for Questbridge’s College Prep Scholarship are due in 11th grade; applications for Questbridge’s National College Match are due in September of 12th grade)
Some great one time scholarships:
American Indian Graduate Center ($1,000-$10,000) www.aigc.com
Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund ($2,500-$15,000) www.apiasf.org/scholarship_apiasf.html
AXA Achievement Scholarship ($10,000-$25,000) www.axa-scholarship.com
Coca-Cola Scholars ($10,000-$20,000) www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org
Davidson Fellows ($10,000, $25,000, or $50,000) www.davidsongifted.org/fellows
Dell Scholars ($20,000) www.dellscholars.org
Hispanic Scholarship Fund ($1,000-$20,000) www.hsf.net/en/scholarships/programs
Horatio Alger (up to $21,000) www.horatioalger.com/scholarships
United Negro College Fund ($2,500-$10,000) www.scholarships.uncf.org
Last but not least - if you have a prospective school in mind, familiarize yourself with their financial aid office staff! They can inform you of internal scholarship opportunities that may be a perfect fit, for you. :-)
Remember - persistence is key! Try to create a daily practice of searching and applying for the best fits, as expansively as possible!
Best of luck to you!