18 Useful Scholarship / Financial Aid Resources

Here are a bunch of useful resources that we’ve gathered to help you apply successfully for scholarships. Here at AidScholar, not only are we motivated to helping you find scholarhips you are looking for, we are striving to help you achieve those scholarships. Applying for scholarhips requires a lot of organization and endurance, but with the right tools a scholarship applicant can be very successful. These free resources can be a vital tool for the scholarship applicant on the quest for scholarships galore.

General Financial Aid Information:

Student Aid on the Web – Official website of the Federal Student Aid office. Provides more than $100 billion in federal financial assistance to students every year. Great starting point for preparing for and funding an education beyond high school.

FAFSA – Federal Student Aid – Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is the form that every student should fill out to apply for federal student aid. Many schools also use the FAFSA to determine non-federal aid.

FAFSA Forecaster for Eligibility – FAFSA4caster will help you get an early start on the financial aid process by providing you with an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid. Also several tips for that help preparing for college easier.

Students.gov – Official government guide for students applying for college. Resources for planning and paying for your education.

Scholarship Guides:

CollegeScholarships.org – Started in 1999, this is one of the oldest scholarship guides around. Great information all around.

SchoolScholarships.org – Comprehensive scholarship guide. Covers many topics, from applying to scholarships to individual scholarship types. Another great resource.

The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid Scholarships – Great general guide to student financial aid information. Covers scholarships, loans, savings plans, and even military aid.

Applying for Scholarships:

ScholarshipHelp.org – Useful tips for the application process. Several articles covering the essay idea, the application, and the mindset needed to win a scholarship.

CollegeBoard Applying for a Scholarship – CollegeBoard’s official guide to applying for scholarships. Good, solid tips for planning out each step of the application process.

Lewis & Clark College’s Guide – Scholarship application tips and hints directly from a college. Useful checklist for things you need to be aware of during the application process.

Fastweb’s Applying for Scholarships Forum – Hosted forum on Fastweb that covers applying for scholarships. Good place to discuss and talk about the process with other students.

SallieMae’s Guidelines – Guide covering the entire scholarship application process from one of the largest student loan providers out there.

Writing Scholarship Applications:

Pierce College’s Tips for Writing Scholarship Application Essays – Provides a useful tool for writing scholarship essays for entry. Gives 5 good tips along with an outline. There are examples given and general guidelines to assist a scholarship entrant.

University of New Mexico’s Tips – Covers general information for scholarship entrants including application materials, honors and activities, letters of recommendation and the personal statement.

SchoolScholarships.org’s Guide for Writing a Scholarship Application Essay – Provides a useful article to get the scholarship entrant thinking about brainstorming, formulating a theme, preparing an outline, a draft and a final version of a scholarship essay.

Sample Scholarship Esssays from MSU.edu – provides real scholarship essays with applicable scores for scholarship entrants to review to understand scholarship selection and criteria.

Other Resources:

College Confidential Scholarships Forum – Provides a forum for scholarship applicants to discuss all issues includings schools, financial aid, appeals, school systems (private v. public) and allows for a scholarship entrant to discuss real life issues and experiences with those who are also applying or have applied.

Free College Blog – A blog giving information not only for scholarships but for grants, internships, contests and othe ways to get free money for college.