Categorized | Parents

The “1-2-3” Approach to Paying for College

Posted on 21 June 2009 by admin

You can’t beat free money for college. That’s why smart students use a 1-2-3 approach to paying for college: first, use money that doesn’t have to be repaid—like grants and scholarships; second, explore federal loans; and third, fill any gap with private loans.

How do students find scholarships? What are some keys to qualifying for them? The following are some tips you can give your students to help them locate and take advantage of scholarship dollars.

Don’t rule yourself out. Scholarships are not limited to class valedictorians and star athletes. They’re awarded based on any number of factors—from career goals to exceptional writing skills displayed in an essay contest.

Apply for as many awards as you qualify for. Even small awards can be helpful in covering costs such as books and other expenses, and, taken together, they can really add up.

Understand the conditions of the award. You may be required to maintain a specific grade point average or even play in an orchestra to qualify.

Proofread: Review everything before you send it. Having a typo on your application may limit your chances of being considered for a scholarship.

Enlist support: Supplement your application with personal letters of recommendation.

Pay attention to deadlines. Miss a deadline and you’ll likely miss out on scholarship money. You may even want to try to submit your application early to stand out from the crowd.

Follow up. Confirm that the organization sponsoring the scholarship received your application.

Send a thank-you note after you receive a scholarship. This small courtesy often has a disproportionately big effect.

Make use of free scholarship directories. Never pay for scholarship information. SallieMae.com and Fastweb.com are two reliable sources of free scholarship information.

More information about scholarships is available at Salliemae.com/scholarships and Thesalliemaefund.org/scholarships.

Sallie Mae and Champions for Higher Education are registered service marks of Sallie Mae, Inc. The Sallie Mae Fund is a registered service mark of the Sallie Mae Fund. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae, Inc., are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. Copyright 2008 by Sallie Mae, Inc. All rights reserved. 11/08.

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53 Comments For This Post

  1. Oct Says:

    There should just be a goverment fund created just to pay for students who want to go to college and have a standard GPA to do it.

  2. raven walthall Says:

    i would love to recieve free money for college. i really hope to attend alabama state university.i have lots of friends and family attending school down there. i really would like to join this school because i no they have an outstanding criminal justice program. I HOPE TO BE ATTENDING THIS SCHOOL FALL OF 2010.

  3. Adrian Dyett Says:

    I really appreciate sites like these that help students get into college as painless as possible.

  4. Desirae Says:

    I love the fact that there is free money out there. Its just that when you compeeting with thousands of other students it can be hard to win. But i plan on getting the hope scholarship to pay for college.

    i cant wait
    =]

  5. Deric Says:

    this was very helpful process and it was really appreciated.

  6. Dominique Says:

    I would also like to recieve free money for college.

  7. Shanna Morris Says:

    Being from a low income household, i do hop to attend collge low of charge. I will be applying for as many scholarships as my time allows!!!!

  8. Gregory Ruffin Says:

    i would love to qualify for scholarship so i dont have to paid for school. Or at least paid not as much

  9. Shanerica Williams Says:

    I would love to receive free money. The more money for college, the better.

  10. Eric P. Says:

    I think deadlines should be taken into consideration and there should be federal funds for students who want to go to the college. Some people don’t have the funds to aspire for college so there should be some kind of support

  11. Khadijah Says:

    This is a good blog. It covers the basics of
    how to earn scholarships and how to
    look for them. I plan to get some
    scholarships for college.

  12. Chakyra Harris Says:

    I need all the scholarships and financial aid there is…I don’t want to be one of those students who completes 2 and a half semesters and then drops out because of financial issues.

  13. Cierra A. Says:

    I would love to receive free money for college. it would really help me get through college, since i come from a one income household.

  14. Laquita Says:

    I think there should be special funds for students who have a GPA good enough to receive a grant for just wanting to go to school, because some high school students don’t even consider going to college.

  15. marcell b Says:

    i believe their should be a goverment funded grant that pays for students who have a desire to learn even if they don’t have the G.P.A

  16. A Watkins Says:

    Fast web really does help the college search process for scholarships. You should also try berecruited.com for athlete scholarships!

  17. A Watkins Says:

    Fast web really does help the college search process for scholarships. You should also try berecruited.com for athlete scholarships!

  18. L. McCord Says:

    This article was very useful, I will look into these resources.

  19. Naquaysha Says:

    I would love to recieve free money for college. it’s something you cant beat. Times are very hard and ruff so this is the year for 2010 to strive for everything they can. these tips can really help you succeed. Im very optimistic about college. I will need as much college assistance that i can take as in money;scholarships;and advice on the perfect field. We need to make a change!

  20. Miss. Sharde Says:

    This article was helpful, I definitely plan on applying to everything possible..this article encourages me to do so.

  21. Alexis Says:

    These steps are steps that I will definitely use while applying for college. This will help my aplication process go smoothly and I appreciate all the help.

  22. Ie’Sha Kidd Says:

    I really think getting free money school is great for people who really want to further there education. In my opinon I think the money should be for people who can write a good essay explaing why they really want to go to college and use that money as a stepping stone to better there future. Any how when it all comes dowm to it I think the government should ofer to pay students college funds with a G.P.A of a 3.5 and higher. For now I think the money we get free is good for right now!!!!

  23. samantha Says:

    this is a really good blog, i appreciate these helpful tips.!

  24. J Bowling Says:

    Sometimes students have excellent grades, but their ACT Scores don’t allow them to get the kind of scholarships they want which isn’t fair to those students who are sometimes bad testers.

  25. J Bowling Says:

    Sometimes students have excellent grades, but their ACT Scores don’t allow them to get the kind of scholarships they need which isn’t fair to those students who are sometimes bad testers.

  26. monnisha Says:

    i think act or sat scores should not be the basics for
    earning scholarships and or full rides to college. some student like myself are not good test takers but i have a high G.P.A

  27. B Ashburn Says:

    This article is true and very helpful

  28. jovon wagner Says:

    I love the fact that there is free money out there. Its just that when you compeeting with thousands of other students it can be hard to win. But i plan on getting the hope scholarship to pay for college.

  29. jovon wagner Says:

    Its just that when you compeeting with thousands of other students it can be hard to win. But i plan on getting the hope scholarship to pay for college.I love the fact that there is free money out there.

  30. Scott Powell Says:

    I think everything she said was right and important.

  31. Latanza Says:

    If u have a opportunity u should take it, especially if its free money for college. Thats the best thing that could ever happen to you.

  32. Natasha S. Says:

    This information is helpful because as a senior student in high school now I have been applying for scholarships and things to pay for college. I really want to go to college and do something with my life.

  33. Cedrisha Says:

    This was a good article that gave much helpful information. It would be extremely helpful if I can receive money from the governmant that i won’t have to pay back.

  34. J.Hale Says:

    This is all true thats why I don’t give up on looking for money for college. But I just don’t understand why does the ACT score mattter so much to colleges when you have the grades and had the grade since the 9th grade.

  35. sharmisha h Says:

    i would love to recieve free money for college just in case its someone who dont have money or who cant afford money for college..

  36. kalvonia Says:

    i think its good that there are scholoarships and finacial aid for students who need money for college. i myself plan on going to college on a basketball scolarship

  37. CRYSTAL Says:

    I THINK MOSTLY EVERYBODY NEED MONEY FOR COLLEGE AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO BUT NOT HAVIN MONEY IS NO OPITION. THEN YOU DONT WANT TO TAKE OUT A LOAN BECAUSE YOU DONT WANT TO BE OWNING THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

  38. Van Says:

    This was a good article. It would be helpful if I can receive schloarships and grants for college.

  39. april Says:

    thanks for the information this site will be helpful

  40. Cameron Haneline Says:

    I would really love to get free money for college and I am still undecided on what college i want to go to so i would really like it if i could get some info from colleges sent to my email! thankyou

  41. Antiwan W Says:

    I like the fact that there’s free money for student who really want to further their education….. But it is hard for some students to receive the grants and scholarships out there

  42. Chanel W. Says:

    I think that they should do a type of funding for students who really want to attend college and so something to keep it funded. Because college is really expensive now so it should be other ways to get money for college for those students who have higher than a 2.0 GPA and if your g.p.a falls then you should not get funded anymore. Or do something that could be a easier way to make money and pay expensives for college.

  43. Tiera Says:

    I think this is a good article and i feel that students should take this very serious especially if someone is trying to help u with an education and if the money is free.

  44. VAndazia Reed Says:

    I enjoyed reading this article. And I would love to receive free money for college

  45. P. Walker Says:

    I Think This Is A Good Way To Plan For College. It Is Reasonable And Organized.!

  46. Erin Walker Says:

    this ariticle doesnt really catch your eye at the begining but once you read the article it intrest you. as an athlete i am always looking for more ways to get money for college. but i do not think ACT scores should not matter when you apply to college

  47. Chanel W. Says:

    I would love to receive free money for college, I dont mind working for the money.I think that doing some type of funding for the students who are going to college, and cares about there education and also based on G.P.A AND INCOME.

  48. Deon Chandler Says:

    I feel that school should be a lot cheaper than they are makeing us pay but thanks for the outlook on the grants and the other ways to pay for college.

  49. Brittany C. Lew Says:

    there should b some type of government payment or sum type of payment so that the childen who has good g.p.a and good high school grades who cant afford college should pay for them to go!!!!!

  50. Dominique Says:

    I really appreciate this website

  51. Tyrie Goodner Says:

    School be cheaper, yet affordable. However, this is America, so it is expected to say the less. I appreciate the people who help, and hope they continue to do so in the future.

  52. Garry Says:

    I would like Schlorships and Grants not loans.

  53. Jennifer Says:

    This article is very helpful in alot of ways. I appreciate this article because I was really lost on alot of things when it came to paying for college. I am very appreciative for this article.

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