Funding Your Education

Table Of Contents

• Education After High School
  What questions should I ask a school?
• Paying Tuition and Other Costs
  So, how can the U.S. Department of Education help me pay for school?
• What about scholarship search services that contact me?
  How can I tell these services aren't scams?
  Are there any signs I should look for?
• Applying for Financial Aid
  But I hate filling out a bunch of forms.
  So, if I want or need to use a paper form, where can I get one?
  When can I apply?
  What should I know before I get started?
  What does the application ask for?
  What is a PIN?
  How can I find out the status of my application?
  What happens after my application is processed?
• Eligibility Criteria
  How will I know what I'm eligible for?
  What is cost of attendance?
  Are my family's special circumstances considered?
• Important Deadlines
  What deadlines do I have to meet?
  Verification? What is that?
  
  
• Federal Pell Grants
  How much can I get?
  If I'm eligible, how will I get the Pell Grant money?
• Campus-Based Aid Programs
  Let's start with Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.
  And what is Federal Work-Study?
  Will I be paid the same as I would in any other job?
  What kinds of jobs are there in Federal Work-Study?
  What about Federal Perkins Loans?
  How much can I borrow?
  Other than interest, is there a charge for this loan?
  So, when do I pay it back?
  What if I have trouble repaying the loan?
• Federal Stafford Loans
  How can I get a FFEL or Direct Loan?
  So, how will I get the loan money?
  How much can I borrow?
  What's the interest rate?
  When do I pay back the loan?
• Federal PLUS Loans (Parent Loans)
  How do my parents get a loan?
  How much can my parents borrow?
  Who gets my parents' loan money?
  What's the interest rate?
  When do my parents begin repaying the loan?
• Federal Stafford and PLUS Loan Questions
  Other than interest, is there a charge for these loans?
  How are the loans repaid?
  What if someone has trouble repaying?
• Reducing the Cost of School
  Will the government give me a tax break?
  What about lower-cost schools?
  What about working or volunteering?