Free Money For College Students - Where To Get Free Money For Your College Degree

Free Money For College Students - Where To Get Free Money For Your College Degree

Attending a university calls for a lot of requirements. If you are a fresh high school graduate, you will have to secure your way into a university by passing entrance exams, or perhaps, if you already have that covered your next biggest concern would be the resources to attend college; and to many students and families, college education is one of the most expensive investments one can make in his lifetime. If you look at the bright side though, a college degree can open many doors for you and provide you with a more promising future.

But the question then is, are there other ways to attend college without having to pay for tuition? Lo and behold: Yes, there is, and there are a lot of programs that assist students who are determined to finish their college education.

There are many scholarship programs offered by the government nowadays to assist up and coming high school graduates or college freshmen. From grants, to money rewards, to scholarships, bridges have been built to connect you to your dreams.

A lot of corporations, firms, and foundations are keen on providing students with grants and scholarships; however, a lot of students prefer grants over their academic-dependent counterpart, which are scholarship programs. The answer is simple: companies that provide grants are basically giving away free money to college students. Grants are rewarded to students who have been selected by a sponsor. The recipients need not worry about maintaining a certain GPA or excelling at a certain sport, like athletic scholarships. In fact, a lot of college students prefer grants over scholarships due to this reason.

However, not all grants are alike. Some grants cover student's tuition only. That means you will still have to find money for your books and other necessities. If you are fortunate however, and your grant fund covers all of your needs and even provides you with monthly allowance, you are set for a good stay in college.

Since grant funds are in a way providing free money to college students, you need not pay the amount back once you finish schooling; a grant is not a type of student loan nor is it any kind of loan either. It is a tax-free; no strings attached reward provided by a sponsor to help you build a better future for yourself.

If you believe you are qualified for a grant, where do you go to apply for one? Although non-profit organizations and the private sector provide grant assistance to students, the best types of grants are those coming from the government itself. If you are an American citizen of legal age and determined to achieve your goals, you are ready to apply for a college grant from federal offices-as well as from any private office, for that matter

Which Loans for College Students?

Which Loans for College Students?

Let's suppose that you have a teenager who will shortly be graduating from high school. You will feel happy naturally, the same as any other parent. whose child is passing out high school. It is one of those milestones in life that you have successfully circumnavigated, in spite of all the financial obstacles that you have probably experienced. It is time to be happy, for you have fulfilled your role of giving your child a brighter future.
But as most would say, a high school graduation is not the be all and end all. In deed, it is only the beginning of tougher challenges that await you and your child in the following years of college education.

At this moment, you need to begin thinking about how you will finance the courses of your college-bound teenager. With the increasing cost of tuition fees, you need to plan ahead well of time to avoid any problems, especially if you not well-off. I should imagine you already know how hard it is to have to cope with the increasing costs of your child's high school education before. The earlier you start thinking about your child's college education, the less you will have financial problems afterwards.

If you think you will ever be faced with financial issues again, it is vital that you know the different financial aid programs available for your college-bound child. Just keep reading to learn the financial aids that can help you:

A Grant: it is the first type of college financial aid that you should apply for. It only requires you to complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application form. Once the form has been sent, it will be checked and if your child qualifies, he/she will get the full amount of what he/she has applied for. At this moment, you need not do anything much further except provide the name of the college or university that your teen wants to enrol into.

Scholarships: Although a scholarship is mostly intended for students who have the 'brains' but do not have the 'money', not all college scholarships are intended for academics. Students who do not have the best academic record can still qualify for many other college scholarships. There are college sports scholarships, community service work scholarships, social involvement scholarships and many others. These are only a few of the different types of scholarships for your child if he / she is not that academically talented.

'Student Loans': these kinds of loan have rather lower interest rates compared with other sorts of loan. Some loans are off-set, which means that the interest does not accumulate until a student finishes college. Moreover, these loans do not require collateral, and therefore, you do not have to worry about putting your own home up as collateral against the student loan for your child. Most of these loans are available on various repayment plans at low interest rates and low monthly installment payments.

If you haven't yet started looking for any of the various financial aid programs available, it is advisable that you start now. These financial aids are there to help you and will provide the funds needed for your child's college education. You can be free from worries about the cost of your teen's education, if you begin early enough.

Simple Guide For College Students

Simple Guide For College Students

College is one of the best actions that people can take in order improve the quality of their lives. By going to college people not only increase their earning potential and employment opportunities; they also learn how to become more productive members of our society. The process for turning college students into high quality citizens begins in school. Here is a simple guide for students so that they can get the most out of their experience.
Go to Your Classes

Students pay money to attend a university and this means that they should go to their classes. The college experience is ultimately about the education process over anything else. It's through this education process that a student is being prepared for the profession that they want to be involved in. So the best thing that any student can do is to show up for their class, be on time, and make sure they absolutely learn something.

Pay your Tuition

You can't go to school without paying your tuition, well if we don't take scholarships and grants into consideration. Students who have to work to attend school should make it a point to pay for their expenses while attending. Again, this is because the education for your profession is the most important reason why you're there.

Have a Social Life

Being social in college is okay as long as it doesn't interfere with your education. Many people get sidetracked in college because they allow the other aspects of the college life to get in the way of their main purpose for being there. Have a social life in college because it's a part of the process for you becoming a productive member of our society but don't allow this social life to get out of control.

Stay out of Debt

Many college students have charge cards and loans that they blow on things they more than likely didn't need. Spending extra tuition money on foolish pleasures or things is not the best thing to do. Don't get it wrong, it's okay to spend some of the money on getting some of the things you want, but remember that you're going to have to pay that money back one day. Also, charge cards are a college student's enemy. The laws are changing because credit card debt is out of control in this country and one part of these changes has to do with college students and credit. The bottom line is students under the age of 21 won't be able to get a credit card unless they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can pay it off or if they have parents who can.

There are plenty more areas that can be covered for this simple college guide for students but the main thing to remember is that college is about your education and that education is what you will need in order to help you make a better life for your family and yourself.

Resolution to get Finances in Order for College Students

Resolution to get Finances in Order for College Students

Once the ball has dropped and the celebrations have come to a close, the New Year's Resolutions start rolling in. These resolutions include losing weight, giving up smoking and studying more. Getting finances in order is a resolution many college students should also have at the top of their New Year's resolution list as well! If you're a college student you're probably thinking, "I barely have a dollar to my name, why would I make getting my finances in order a New Year's Resolution?"; and that is exactly the problem. Many college students are limited in funds, but have bountiful available credit - causing students to lose control of their finances and create more college debt than they can afford. To help you gain back control of your finances before it snow balls into a financial nightmare, here is a list of 10 steps to help college students get their finances back on track. And while this probably means that you will have to stop charging pizza and beer on your credit card, think of it this way - do you really want to be paying interest on pizza and beer after college, or even worse, for the rest of your life? Financing 101 1. Make a budget and stick to it. The first step to getting your finances in order is to create a budget detailing your monthly income and expenses. This will help you see where you might be able to cut corners and eliminate expenses from your budget.
2. Write down your monthly payment, interest, and total amount due on each student or credit card loan. A scary exercise, but a valuable one! By doing this exercise, you will be able to see exactly what you are paying on each student or credit card loan, how much you owe each lender and which card or loan has the lowest interest rate.

3. Cancel all credit cards with annual fees. Annual fees only add fuel to the fire when you have a considerable amount of debt to pay off. That is why it is a good idea to transfer your balances to a card with a no annual fee and cancel your annual fee card(s) immediately. Depending on the amount of your annual fee, you could potentially save yourself anywhere from $50 to $250.

4. Ask lenders for a rate reduction. Many times credit card companies will consider lowering your interest rate if you are a customer in good standing (meaning you pay your bills on time and do not max out your credit card). And if they are not willing to lower your rate, notify them that you are going to transfer your balance to a lower rate card - they just might reconsider their decision.

5. Consolidate and pay off your credit card balances. First ask yourself what kind of person you are. If you are someone who likes to see results instantly, then you will want to pay off your lowest interest rate credit card first and then move on to your higher rate credit cards. However, if you are someone who enjoys working towards a long term goal, then you will want to pay off your highest interest rate first and then move down the line until everything is paid off. But no matter what kind of bill payer you are, the one thing you always need to do is pay your bills on time. This will help keep your credit score in good standing and help prevent you from accumulating debt for unnecessary late fees.

6. Pay your bills on time! Paying your bills on time is a very important part of your adult financial life, but one that many students often lose sight of during their college years. The best rule of thumb is to pay your bills right when you receive them. This will ensure that your bills will reach the payee on time and reduce the chance of you losing the bill. If this method does not work well for you, consider paying your bills through an online bill payment system. Typically offered through banks and credit unions, this will help keep your bills and payments organized, while ensuring that your payments are delivered on time.

7. Spend less than you earn. If you do not have the money to buy that new pair of shoes now, you surely will not have the money once the bill comes. So play it safe, if there is something you really must have, then save up for it - it will make buying the item more special than if you just charged it.

8. Ditch the car while at college. Between gas, maintenance, auto insurance and paying for a parking pass, having a car at college can be costly. So why not start the New Year off right by leaving your car at home and taking advantage of your school's public bus system. The campus bus can be a great way to travel and may help you catch up on some studying along the way. And if there is somewhere you need to go that the bus system just cannot take you too, consider car pooling with friends - you'll not only save money on gas, but you will also have a great time in the process.

9. Invest. Your initial reaction might be that you are too young to invest - but that simply is not the case. It is never too early to start saving for the future and investing can be the jumpstart you need to do just that. Companies, such as Share Builder, allow you to purchase stocks for $4 or less when you use their Automatic Investment Plan.

10. Know your credit score. Your credit score impacts more than just what rate you get on a loan, it can also impact your car insurance rate. Why would an auto insurance company care about your credit score? Well, many auto insurance companies believe that if you have a poor credit score you will also be a poor driver - which means you are a bigger liability to the insurance company and ultimately will pay a bigger premium for your car insurance.