Tips for Funding Your College Education

You’ve traveled near and far visiting colleges, held numerous conversations about the application process and even slightly entertained the transition to college for them (and you) as they venture off, but as decisions and financial aid packages arrive, the final step to your decision making becomes a reality. How can you best prepare to pay for college?

The college counseling team understands what a rollercoaster of knowledge is required to navigate the world of financial aid, especially in recent years when the process has taken unexpected twists and turns. But don’t worry. This article will hopefully simplify the various ways of funding college education with resources to investigate. Of course, this article offers an overview and won’t individualize the numbers for each student at each college. BUT, if you have questions, we have answers. Read on…

FAFSA (Free Application for Free Student Assistance)

The FAFSA is an application providing the gateway to federal assistance including grants, work-study opportunities and federal student loans. The FAFSA is also required by many colleges for consideration of some state level and college based financial aid programs. The online portal to begin this application is slated to be released December 1, 2024 for students attending college in the 2025-2026 school year.

CSS Profile (College Board)

This online application is administered by the College Board and used by hundreds of colleges in the country in addition to the FAFSA to fully maximize your financial aid offer. It asks for another layer of financial information beyond the FAFSA about the student’s financial aid situation and is vital to be considered for non-federal financial aid. Why do you have to file the CSS Profile for some colleges? This additional financial information is used by colleges to award grants, scholarships and loans.

Who is Next? College, that’s who.

Colleges use the FAFSA and CSS profile to assist in distributing their own additional funding for students. Awards can be offered to address need or merit. Scholarships offered by colleges include academic achievement, athletics, and artistic talents to name a few. After reviewing this additional consideration, the colleges will release financial aid packages to the student. This package includes ALL sources of government and institutional funding along with institutional awards.

Resources for You

Curious about what your financial aid may look like? I can suggest free resources which offer estimates of what the bottom line may look like. Alert - your estimate is only as accurate as the numbers you submit.

1. Myintuition - Enter your financial numbers and this platform will estimate a cost. (Free)

2. Net Price Calculator - By federal law, all colleges must post a Net Price Calculator link on their website. It is typically found under Financial Aid. (free)

3. SmartTrack - DCDS hosted a webinar with SmartTrack College Funding in early October. The webinar is available for viewing until December 31, 2024. Look for the recording and Workshop Companion Guide.

The Hunt for Private Scholarships

Private scholarships are your next step to ease the stress of funding your education. Many private organizations enjoy sponsoring scholarships to help fund student education. Here are resources to help you find these funding opportunities:

1. Online search engines like Fastweb.com, scholarships.com, Scholly, Appily, College Board and Chegg provide scholarship ideas. Create an account (using a separated, dedicated email account), complete an individual profile and check your email for ideas of scholarships that fit your criteria.

2. MAIA Learning offers scholarship ideas - local, state and national. Use your account to check out upcoming deadlines.

3. Our newsletter and Instagram account will highlight local scholarships where our students have found success in the past. All listings in the newsletter will also be listed in MAIA Learning.

What might seem like an overwhelming process is actually very manageable with the right strategy. Begin early, explore all available options, and establish a separate email account to stay organized. Dedicate time each week to searching for opportunities. The tasks themselves aren’t complicated—your resume is ready, and prompts are drafted from college applications. It’s just a matter of organizing your efforts.