College-bound students are in a good place to take advantage of high school scholarships and grants that are making the costs of attending a university more affordable. High school students that are looking for funds for college often fail to realize there are countless options available.
Scholarships and grants, while similar in some ways, are offered for different reasons in most cases. Scholarships are often merit based, but can be offered for specific careers or degrees and for students attending a particular school. Grants, on the other hand, usually are given out based on need. A student’s family income is heavily factored into things like a Pell Grant and in cases where a student’s income doesn’t afford them the opportunity to go to school.
However, there are, again, endless financial opportunities for high school students to find the funding for college. Common places to start are with the university a high school student is planning to attend or the federal financial aid company, FAFSA, which calculates grant and scholarship availability.
Yet, using online tools to seek out scholarships, talking with high school guidance counselors, and financial aid advisors at the university level are all going to be helpful in finding as many scholarships available to you as possible.
While it’s not always fun, seeking out scholarships and grants before turning to student loans is going to save money in the long run and make college less costly for anyone.