School Finance

Scholarships, Student Loans and Financial Aid Resources

Few students can afford to pay for school without educational financial aid, but there are so many kinds of educational financial aid that the world of financial aid can feel overwhelming

Schools & Degrees can help you understand your financial aid options.

When making decisions about paying for school, students should know what kinds of educational financial aid are available.

Schools & Degrees strives to provide students with up-to-date information about financial aid for online learning programs. This section of our comprehensive site makes the world of financial aid easy to understand.

Three major kinds of financial aid are:

  1. Scholarships
  2. Grants
  3. Education loans

Scholarships

Scholarships do not need to be repaid.

Scholarships are personalized forms of financial aid. They are usually appropriate for students with particular strengths in academic, artistic, or athletic fields. Students from underrepresented groups or students in financial need may also be eligible to receive scholarships.

There are many specialized scholarship opportunities. The scholarships section of this site provides information about the right scholarship opportunities for you.

Grants

Grants do not need to be repaid.

Pell Grants are often awarded to students by the federal government. To receive a Pell Grant, students must meet certain qualifications.The Pell Grant section of this site will help you find out whether you are eligible for a Pell Grant.

Education Loans

Education loans do need to be repaid.

There are many types of loans available from the federal government. Two major categories of federal education loans are:

  • Student loans (Stafford loans and Perkins loans)

Stafford loans can be subsidized or unsubsidized. Subsidized Stafford loans are awarded to students based on financial need. Unsubsidized Stafford Loans are not based on financial need.

Perkins Loans are low-interest loans borrowed from your school with federal assistance.

PLUS loans are awarded to parents of students who qualify as dependents

To apply for any form of federal financial aid, you will need to fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid.)

Students should complete the FAFSA on the Web worksheet prior to filling out the FAFSA; it will make the process go much more smoothly.

It can be more difficult for International and Canadian students to obtain financial aid in the US. But there are financial aid opportunities for students in these categories.

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