Finding information about financial aid for college can be difficult. We'll take a look at a couple of
books and websites that can make the process a little easier.

The Books

Don’t Miss Out: the Ambitious Student’s Guide to Financial Aid, by Ana and Robert Leider . This guide offers the most up to date information on aid available to students as well as how and when to apply.
(Call Number: R 378.3 L)

The A’s and B’s of the Academic Scholarships, by Anna Leider. Scholarships are listed alphabetically by state and institution. Everything you need to know about the scholarship is here: application date, how many students receive the scholarship and scholarship value, are a some of the categories.
(Call Number: 378.34 A)

Peterson’s College Money Handbook: Perhaps the best known name in college guides, this book contains information about federal grants, work-study programs, need-based grants, academic scholarships, and other financial aid opportunities.(Call Number:  R 378.3025 P)

On the Web

FAFSA : One of, if not the, most important websites to know when applying for financial aid is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

It is highly recommended that you print out the “FAFSA on the Web” worksheet before you get started. This worksheet will help you gather all of the financial data that you will need to complete the online form.

If you haven’t already done so, you will need to apply for an electronic PIN number. In some cases you this might take up to 10 business days to process, so make sure you give yourself enough time.

Also, if your college hasn’t already given them to you, click on the link to get your school code.

• Select the school year from the drop down menu.
• Select “search” from the next drop down menu.
• Click “Next.”
• Follow the on screen instructions and input any identifying information about the college.
• Click “Next.”

The search results should be listed on the next page. Take note of the “Federal School Code” next to the schools that will be receiving your information.

After you’ve filled out the “FAFSA on the Web” worksheet, received your pin and gathered your school codes, you’re ready to go. Filling out the FAFSA is simple once you have this information.

From the main page:

• Click “Filling Out a FAFSA”
• Select which type of FAFSA you are filling out.
• Follow the on screen instructions and enter the information requested.

Once you are finished, hang on to that “FAFSA on the Web” worksheet. Don’t forget to print out your copy of the electronic document for your records.

NEW YORK STATE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM : New York State offers its own financial aid, usually referred to as TAP. From the main page:

• Select “NY-English” or “NY- Spanish”
• Then click “Apply for TAP.”

From here it’s as easy as following the on screen instructions. Remember that “FAFSA on the Web” worksheet? Keep it handy because you will use much of the same information here.

FINAID.ORG: This site details scholarships and student loans as well as military aid. Registration is not required to browse the help both students and caregivers determine college costs.

A unique aspect of FinAid.org is the college calculator page. Here you will find detailed calculators for just about every aspect of financing a college education from saving for college to how much to borrow.

Take a look at the “Student Loan Advisor - Undergraduate Students” calculator, about halfway down the page:

This calculator will give you an approximate monthly loan payment once you graduate college based on an expected starting salary and your year of graduation.

There are also a couple of budgeting calculators (toward the bottom of the page). This calculator compares your input with national averages and helps you determine if you are spending too much on one particular area.

Sallie Mae is one of the largest private lenders to college students. Using their website, found at Salliemae.com you can apply for a loan as well as financial planning after college.

 Sallie Mae also explains the difference between various types of federal and private loans. From the main page, under “Getting a Loan” click on (for this example) “Loans for Undergrads.” From here you have a couple of different options that you can click on to explain the different types of loans. Let’s try “Comparing Student Loan Types.”

From here, you can click on the individual types of loans to learn more about both private and federal options.

BankRate.com is a website that details many aspects of the banking industry, among them bank loans for college. From the main page it is as easy as clicking on the “College Finance” tab at the top of the page.

One of the most unique aspects of this site is the ability to look at college loans from commercial banks by state. After going to the “College Finance” section of the site,

• On the left side of the screen click on the “GO” button next to the “Compare loans by state” box. (If you click the drop down arrow, you can look at various other types of loan options.)
• Choose your state from the menu. Click “Next.”
• Choose the closest city. Click “Next.”
• Choose your loan option by clicking the circle. Click “Next.”

Your results will be on the next page with links to the individual lenders websites.

PETERSON’S: I n addition to the popular book series, Peterson’s guides also maintain a website with much of the same information as in the books.

Using the “Quick Links” guide on the left side of the page, you can explore different college programs as well as search for a scholarship. Click “Undergraduate Scholarship Search” for detailed financial aid information. Like at FinAid.org, Peterson’s also offers a “Savings Calculator.” There is also a section that answers frequently asked questions about financial aid.

NOTE: Book covers are from Amazon.com.
Web screenshots are from the individual websites unless otherwise noted.

Ask at the Adult Reference Desk for assistance in using any of the print or online resources listed above. Or e-mail your questions to the library at hwmlcontact@hotmail.com.