If you're a student who is looking for answers on how to pay for college, you might feel a bit overwhelmed at the process. Yes, there are an abundance of websites to peruse, but where do you start?
We've put together a list of helpful websites that can serve a resource for beginning your financial journey down the road of paying for college. While this list isn't inclusive, it can help to point you in the right direction.
ACT's Financial Aid Need Estimator
Here you'll find a tool that can give you a good idea of what type of financial need you're most likely looking at. This is an important first step, because your financial need is what determines how much (if any) need-based federal aid you may qualify for.
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
The site offers information under its "Students, Parents & Counselors" tab, where you'll find a ton of information about financial aid, eligibility for financial aid, and a state by state look at different financial aid programs.
Savingforcollege.com
In addition to searching for grants, scholarships, and students loans, there's also the need for parents to put away money for their children's college education. This website provides a wealth of information on 529 savings plans across the nation, as well as financial aid and scholarships.
Big Future
This site not only offers an overview of financial aid options, but provides some handy features as a scholarship search tool that scours more than 2,200 programs involving financial aid, scholarships, and internships.
FinAid.org
Here you'll find on online form that can be used to calculate your expected family contribution (EFC) and financial need, and to get a better estimate your student financial aid.
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