Financial Aid & Scholarship Resources

The U.S. Department of Education launched the brand new StudentAid.Gov site in July 2012; this online hub provides information on all parts of the federal financial aid process including FAFSA questions, loans, work-study funding, military aid and more.

AidScholar is a scholarship search site that allows for quick searches, instant customization, and requires no sign-up form.

Create a free profile at Cappex.com to connect with colleges that are looking for students like you. You can also apply for scholarships and calculate your chances of admission to schools around the country.

CheapScholar.org is a blog that provides families and students with current relevant information that helps them to navigate the financial aspect of their college experience.

College Goal Sunday, held across the country in February and March each year, offers an opportunity for students and parents to learn more about the world of financial aid, with trained experts on hand to help you and your family fill out the Federal Application For Student Aid (FAFSA).

Sign up for a free account and you'll be able to set up a profile, create forums, and post your ideas. Each week, site user votes determine who takes home a $3,000 scholarship.

College Planning Network (CPN) is a Seattle-based, nonprofit organization that assists people seeking educational opportunities, and serves the Pacific Northwest. CPN's free scholarship search was designed as a gift to CPN by Microsoft.

College Portraits features basic, comparable information about public colleges and universities, presented in a user-friendly format. Sponsored by two nonprofit organizations (the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities), it is a trustworthy source of reliable data for students and families.

A listing of links to ten free online scholarship searches, college admissions and financial aid office email addresses and toll-free numbers, links to college Web sites and online applications (by state), a free college admissions and scholarships email newsletter, and a list of the Web's best college and scholarship Web sites.

This article from the finance experts at Mint.com offers a wide-ranging overview of strategies for students to pay for college, and a list of more reliable sources for financial literacy and financial aid advice. (Thanks to the team at W.B. Goodwin Community Center for passing along this resource.)

MortgageLoan.com offers a number of free financial calculators, including the Student Savings Calculator linked above. Enter a few simple estimates of current savings and monthly contributions, and figure out exactly how much you'll need to save for college.

College Toolkit offers a Loan Marketplace that will help you find Stafford, PLUS and private loans, and make educated comparisons and decisions about your student loan options.

By filling out this form provided by the College Board, you can apply online for nonfederal financial aid from almost 400 colleges and scholarship programs.

Helps students with scholarship searches.

FindTheBest.com offers unbiased, data-driven comparisons of thousands of products and services. Their Scholarship and Grant Comparison tool allows you to compare scholarships based on average award size, area of study, applicable colleges and a number of other criteria. Click "More" to check it out, and visit the College Selection and Admissions page for a link to the FindTheBest college comparison tool.

Provides answers to basic financial aid questions.

Part of the StudentAid.gov network of resources, this online tool will help you understand the uses, differences and risks involved with student loans.

Get organized, fill out your application and do follow up of your FAFSA—all online! Site includes worksheets, calculators and much more.

Mapping Your Future is a public-service, nonprofit collaborative project of the financial aid industry; the site brings together the expertise of the industry to provide you with the best information available.

The website of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators provides useful information including an overview of the financial aid landscape, state-level financial aid and scholarship opportunities, and regional tuition discounts.

Information on private scholarships, grants, fellowships and work study, including the CASHE scholarship database and search engine.

Focusing on the ins and outs of 529 college-savings plan, this site provides sound advice about saving for college on a state-by-state basis.

Scholarships360 is a not-for-profit service that profiles one unique scholarship every day of the year (especially ones that might be overlooked by larger scholarship websites).

This is a scholarship search engine.

The Collegiate Partners program involves nearly 500 colleges, universities and technical schools to help maximize the impact of financial aid from Dollars for Scholars and Scholarship America. Many even have matching-fund agreements, and all are committed to helping students get the most out of their scholarship.

A scholarship search that promises to provide accurate and tailored scholarship search results without compromising the privacy of students and parents.

SchoolGrantsBlog.com features frequent updates on student grants, their sources and how to apply for them. Finding grants can be complex, and the blog offers and organized, usable look at the topic.

Simple Tuition is a completely free online resource center for students and parents looking to finance a college/grad school education. The site features information on financial aid, student loans and consolidation, as well as a handy loan comparison tool.

Student Scholarship Search provides students and parents with a free, searchable database of college scholarships and grants. No registration is required, and scholarships are updated daily.

SuperCollege has a free online scholarship search as well as articles to help students and parents pay for college.

The University & College Accountability Network (U-CAN) is a free, consumer-friendly college search tool that presents information that prospective students and their families have rated as critical to making informed college choices. Users can create a customized search of hundreds of private, nonprofit colleges using a variety of criteria.

Since its inception in 1944, UNCF has grown to become the nation's oldest and most successful African American education assistance organization.