Resources: Tools to Estimate College Costs

Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Step-by-step instructions for students and parents
Available in English and Spanish.
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/

Access to FAFSA on the Web and FAFSA Express (two electronic versions of the FAFSA)Helpful hints on filling out the form
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/apply/express.html

Completing the FAFSA (Federal Application for Federal Student Aid)
http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/index.html
This site offers information about filling out the FAFSA forms.

2000-01 Student Guide
http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/2000-1/index.html
Official bulletin of the U.S. Department of Education and offers:

	Detailed explanations about the financial aid process
	Information on how "estimated family contribution" is calculated
	A Student Guide which gives students information about the financial aid process

Federal School Codes for FAFSA
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/apply/search.html
A way to get a school’s code for your financial aid form

U.S. Department of Education - Office of Postsecondary Education:
This site offers information on OPE's programs, accreditation, information for students, planning for college, and more.
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/index.html?src=mr

Student Financial Aid Association
http://www.ed.gov/students/prep/college/index.html
http://www.students.gov/index2.html

This government site offers information and services that help you:

	Find the right college
	Apply for federal student aid
	Learn about other educational benefits

Tax Credits

Hope Scholarship Tax Credit
http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96271,00.html
Explains eligibility requirements to claim a non-refundable Hope Scholarship Credit on federal income taxes.

Lifetime Learning Tax Credit
http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96273,00.html

	IRS information about this tax credit
	Information on if a person is eligible to claim a nonrefundable Lifetime Learning Credit against federal income taxes

Tax Benefits for Higher Education
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/funding.jsp?tab=funding
This site offers information on numerous tax breaks if:

	You are planning to go to college
	You are already in school
	You have graduated and you're paying back loans on your education

Scholarships Search Engines

American Student Assistance
http://www.amsa.com/default.asp
American Student Assistance (ASA) has assisted 1.4 million students successfully finance and repay their education costs.

College Board
http://www.collegeboard.com/splash
This site helps students search a database of more than 2,000:

	Scholarships
	Loans
	Internships
	Other financial aid programs

Fast Web
http://www.fastweb.com/
This site offers personalized scholarship searchs

FreSch!
http://www.freschinfo.com/index.phtml
This site offers free scholarship information services

Merit Scholarships
http://www.nationalmerit.org/index.htm
The Merit Scholarship Corporation awards about 5,000 scholarships each year.

Students compete based upon:

	Test scores
	Academic and extracurricilar achievements
	School recommendations

To be considered, you must take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in the fall of your junior year in high school.

Scholarship Resource Network Express
http://www.srnexpress.com/index.cfm
This site contains a database of over 8,000 scholarship programs.

Xap.com
http://www.xap.com/getmoney/

Other Places to Look

Many universities and colleges maintain their own databases of scholarships. You can locate this information through the university’s or college’s web sites.

You should also check with your:

	Local civic group (Kiwanis, Rotary)
	Local Hospitals and hospital auxiliaries or volunteer groups
	Churches
	Professional associations
	Ethnic and Cultural Group
	Credit Unions