College Financing Strategies
Read these great ideas for college financing from students and parents who have shared their financial aid strategy. These essays offer great strategies for financing college. Many students have taken different approaches, so I encourage you to read a number of these strategies to find out what might be the best solution for you, and what to avoid.
Last updated on December 18, 2024 by College Financial Aid Advice.
University of Oregon
College Financing Strategies
Which College Is Right for Your Child?
We live in California where we are fortunate to have some very good college choices. My wife and I both attended different University of California campuses and we both received an excellent education. Together we raised 4 children, and we assumed they would follow in our footsteps and attend a University of California, or one of the California State Universities. Over time we realized that each of our children were different, and required a different solution...
What They Don’t Tell You about Financial Aid
Upon becoming a high school senior I began preparation for college and, like most students, found it overwhelming. As a student who did not have much out of pocket cash (more like any out of pocket cash) to put toward college, financial aid was a must. Mentors, teachers and college representatives provided me with tips and advice on applying for scholarships...
The "No Lose" Job Solution - Volunteer
The “No Lose” Job Solution for College Financing - Our culture is saturated with the fear of a collapsing economy. This fear has merit. My own father lost jobs because of closing businesses. As the number of places to work has dwindled, even successful and educated college graduates have found a fog of uncertainty looming…
Dear Siblings, This year you have seen all the processes I have gone through for college. You saw me writing essays last summer, submitting applications through the fall, and struggling to choose a college through the winter and spring. But there was one thing you didn’t see and that was the financial aid process I went through....
White Middle Class Girl - Scholarship Search
I have a problem. It’s a problem many teenagers my age also share with me. I need to pay for college and I do not have the money for it! So, I decided to apply for scholarships like every good student would. However, as I was applying for scholarship after scholarship, I realized something. There are minimal scholarships for white, middle class women...
College Financing Tips - The Job that Makes a Difference
Last week, I was at a job interview. I like everyone else that reached the interview portion of the process, I have the required degree for the position. Interviews are about your experience, your skills and your abilities as a team-member and a leader. Thanks to…
Parents: Partner, Don't Nag!
Scholarships, every student wants to win them and every parent NEEDS their student to win them! College scholarships financially benefit both student and parent, so it makes sense for parents to partner with their students to help them win. The problem is, students are so busy these days with sports, academics, community service, and part-time jobs that scholarship searching...
Searching for scholarships for college can be very time consuming. I always tell myself that I will start applying for scholarships but never get around to doing it. This time around I have applied for scholarships by developing the following steps for scholarship search.…
No one told me eighteen years ago that I would need a training manual to begin the financial aid process to send my precious bundle of joy to college. After several ill-fated attempts to start this journey at the "log-in" page of the FAFSA website, I resorted to calling several 1-800 numbers! Thank goodness for patient tech support! If I were to advise a newbie parent in this exciting process, I would encourage that they…
What do you mean she has too much scholarship money!
In April before entering her first year of college, this is essentially what my daughter’s Financial Aid Award Letter said when the school of her choice took away $10,000 of a school awarded merit-based scholarship (renewable each year for 4 years) that she had earned through competing with other entering scholars. In addition, the award letter had a line item for student loans. Needless to say, I was “hot.” After all, this decrease was the equivalent of room and board for a whole year...
Know your career before having to pay back an un-needed loan
In life people change their minds about what kind of career they want to have when they grow up. There are so many different reasons why people go to college rather it’s because they want to, their feeling pressured by their family, or they feel it’s what they need to do…
Scholarship Search Steps for High School Students
Yep, you’re an adult now. You couldn’t wait. Yay! Welcome to the real world! Now get your butt in gear and get your finances in order. Do not expect anyone to do this for you. This is the rest of your life. Don’t expect your parents to find and fill out scholarship opportunities. Don’t expect your guidance counselor to thrust applications into your grubby little paws. They are not “do it for you” counselors…
Student Jobs - On-Campus Financial Aid and Its Benefits
Looking for on-campus student jobs? One such option is the Resident Advisor (or RA) position. Most, if not all residence halls have several RAs living in the building to mentor and direct students in their college years, which are notoriously fraught with indecision…
Conquering the College Application Process
The road to college can be very stressful and daunting from the perspective of a high school senior or junior. The thought of writing tons of essays that expound upon why you should be chosen can be a large lump to swallow. However, in retrospect, I am so grateful for the journey and for the amazing opportunities that I now have as a result of…
I am a freshman at Kentucky State University. I am a full-time student so therefore I was eligible for work study. As soon as I was cleared to work I got a job in the University's Library. It has been an amazing experience. Most of my friends question my choice of working in a library because it's quiet and "boring", but I love it…
Cha-ching! Free Money for College on the Internet! - Believe it! It’s not a scam! There’s free money for college on the Internet! The more you look; the more you find. I didn’t believe it at first but now I’m becoming an expert. I thought that scholarships were only for …
It never seems like the day will come but the next time you look at the calendar it will almost be your senior year of high school and you will need to start looking for and applying to the college you want to go to. This can be a difficult task, but doing the right things to prepare can make this entire process a breeze…
College Financing Tips - Give a Year and Change the World
Give a Year, Change the World (and save money too!) National service is the best way to pay for college. AmeriCorps programs like City Year or Playworks, allow young adults, fresh out of high school in many cases to serve a year and receive a Segal’s Education Award amounting to $7,395. Many universities will even match your Segal’s Education Award…
Taking the Path Less Traveled - Working Full Time During College
As I stared blankly at the tuition information that the University of Illinois at Chicago had sent me, I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. Thirteen thousand dollars printed as a lump sum on my Student Aid Report stared back at me, and I have never felt more frightened at the sight of such a large amount of money. At that time, I had...
In the dark, all alone, I feared the loan monster. I sat in the corner and stared at the dark cloud above my head. He was $5500 and I really needed him to pay for school, but then my boss gave me a hand. He lifted me out of the dark and told me about...
How to manage your student loans
How to manage your student loans. This is a million dollar question. There are many ways to manage the loans but some of the best advice I can offer is to not even get the loan in the first place... Another great way to eliminate to reduce your student loans, my college offered a program that if I was to make my student loan payments on time for a period of 6 months they would reduce my tuition bill by...
More College Financing Ideas
Taking the "Free Way" To College (Angela, South Carolina)Contacting the financial aid office at the school that the student is attending, or looking to attend, is a great way to find out about grants that may be offered in your area or to residents of your state. They may have a list of grants that are available, along with instructions on how to go about receiving these grants. If you are a graduating high school student, it may also be wise to check with your high school guidance counselor. They, too, may have some information on some grants, or they might be able to point you in the right direction to obtaining some information.
Choose a School You Can Afford (Kortney, Indiana)
Another helpful hint about college finances is to make sure you pick a school you can afford. Don't pick a small, expensive private school if you cannot afford it. There are hundreds of colleges out there to choose from. Be wise and choose an affordable college over an expensive college.
Sell Things (Brent, Michigan)
Sell things. For example: I sold a comic book collection - realized $2000 - I can buy it back later when I have a real job.
Money, Money, Money (Elizabeth, California)
If there is still a gap after federal and state aid, compare the various financial aid packages from the colleges that the student has applied to. Inquire whether the school has any special scholarships based on need or talents such as musical abilities or sports; It does not hurt to ask, and the sooner you do so, the more likely that they will have money. Also, the “more expensive” colleges are often the colleges with better financial aid packages. When all other financial aid has been exhausted, then the first loans students should take out are the subsidized Stafford loans offered by the school because the government pays the interest while you are in school.
Senior year is all about deadlines!! (Sandra, Texas)
Your junior year is probably the most crucial year regarding academics. During your junior year, you should have been taking the SAT and ACT, and taken rigorous classes, (they look great in your college applications!) By this time, you should have done enough community service hours, been active in clubs and organizations, and have taken responsibility with leadership roles. Why is this important? Unfortunately, if you are not in the top ten percent of your class, you will not have the privilege of having automatic admission to any public and/or several private schools. However, if you were active in school clubs and worked a creditable amount of volunteer hours, you could still be very likely to be accepted into the college of your dreams. The point is that during your junior year, begin to organize all the leadership roles you held, note all the hours you served, and keep your grades up at all times.
The summer right before entering senior year should be productive. Sign up for college visits, get a part time job, re-take the SAT and ACT if possible, begin drafting your college essays, and most importantly, start looking for scholarships. There are many great websites out there that contain a variety of scholarships, all you need to do is look for them. Many people wait until the very last minute to sign up for colleges and scholarships, not realizing what they missed out on. This is why senior year is ALL about DEADLINES! You will have multiple scholarship and application deadlines, not considering keeping up with your academic work aside. Become your counselor’s best friend, they will guide you and provide the knowledge that you will need to know to apply for colleges. Visit school websites and note on a calendar when the deadlines are.
Ask a counselor: believe it or not, these folks are professionally trained to know and pass on information of the college world unto students. Simply asking if there are any scholarships or grants open for entry may be a good start; however, being specific about the scholarship type you want (i.e. writing, sports, ethnicity, talents, etc…) will prove to be more efficient.
Scholarship Applications are No Joke! (Xenia, Ohio)
As a 17 year old girl with tons of AP and honors work, a part- time job, and several school productions to maintain, I had no interest in spending my free time applying for scholarships and writing essays. I finally got my head into the game a few months ago and began to spend every weekend searching for scholarships, but unfortunately most of the scholarship deadlines had already passed so I was stuck at square one. I had to take out federal student loans. They are more forgiving than private ones, but I’ll still leave college in debt. The loans still didn’t cover my tuition and books, so my mother had to take out a loan on her 401k, which still will not be enough for both books and tuition costs. I regret not taking scholarship applications seriously. If I could go back in time and do it all again, I would spend my Sundays writing scholarship essays rather than watching Law and Order SVU marathons.
Can't be organized enough (Brenda, California)
Financial aid and organization go hand and hand. The financial aid world is based on forms, deadlines, and requirements. To keep up with deadlines make sure that you have a calendar handy, and make a list of all the financial aid opportunities you qualify for. For example, I like making a Google sheet where I can list all my Scholarships and Grants for College. In this sheet I write down the due date, requirements, and the website link. The best thing about this document is that I can organize all my financial aid opportunities by due date, and I can access the document at any time simply by logging into my email account. When I have free time, I simply start to look for scholarships and I add to my virtual list. In addition, I like to create my own deadlines so that I complete each financial aid opportunity well before the real deadline. This is really important, because it will seem that a month or even two weeks is plenty of time to finish an application; however, things come up and deadlines are easily missed. To avoid this problem always fill out applications as soon as you can. Finally, keep in mind that many of these financial aid opportunities will require letters of recommendation, and transcripts. Therefore, have multiple copies of these documents at hand so that you can easily meet tight deadlines. Good luck!
Look at the Positive Side (Tori, Arizona)
Full Ride Scholarship - As all college students are aware, AIMS testing (a standardized test given to elementary and high school students within Arizona to record their stance) was grueling... Even the thought of a full-ride scholarship could not draw me in; but regardless of my stubbornness I tried for the sake of trying. The deal was: if the student were to exceed in all of the categories (math, writing, and reading), the full-ride scholarship would be granted to that individual... All I kept telling myself was "Come on, it is a full-ride scholarship; just do it and get it over with...You will be thankful in the end!" Well, the testing days came and went while I seemed to struggle with the reading portion on the AIMS testing. I attempted my freshman and sophomore year which ended in disastrous results. I never understood why my reading skills were not executed through my test scores. Needless to say, I tried my junior year in high school...and I passed by two points! I was so proud of myself because without this AIMS Scholarship, I would not be able to attend such a wonderful school such as Arizona State University. I am one step closer to reaching my dreams of becoming a Fine Artist and it is all thanks to that little stitch of extra effort. In a sense, the motto of this story is to never settle for average, you deserve the best of the best.
More College Financing Strategies and Ideas
Thanks to our readers for sharing their college financing strategies and ideas. Check out the links below for more college financing ideas, including more college financing tips.
And don't forget that important scholarship essay. We also have some very good examples of college admission essays and scholarship essays in our collection of 100 Examples of Good College Essays.
Welcome!
Welcome to College Financial Aid Advice, a website full of information on scholarships and grants, student loans, and other ways to save money at college.
Important Things to Do
Scholarships for 2025 - 2026 - It is never too early or too late to work on your scholarship searches. If you are part of the high school class of 2025, you should work on your scholarship and college search now. See our list of Scholarships for High School Seniors
FAFSA - The official 2025 - 2026 FAFSA is available now. FAFSA.
College Financial Aid Tips
Scholarship Lists An overview of the different types of Scholarship Money for College.
Grants Learn more about grants, the other free money for college.
Need Tuition Help? Reduce the cost of tuition with these college Tuition Assistance Programs.
Tax Credit Claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit.
College Savings Plans Save money for college with these College Savings Plans.
Need a Student Loan? Yes, you qualify for these college Student Loans.
Popular Scholarship Searches
Scholarships for High School Students