At Adult Education Advocates, one of the first questions we hear from both students and parents is, how are we going to pay for school? Finding information about financial aid online is easy - but it is more difficult to determine how that information is applicable to specific individuals and circumstances. For example, while working with a client we determined that he could deduct $10,000 from his FAFSA because he had been unemployed. This in turn, increased his financial aid significantly. However, the college’s financial aid office never identified these lost funds until we brought it to their attention.
The websites below include some of the leading nonprofit and government sources on financial aid and are among the most reliable sources on the Internet. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions about financial aid.
This is the home page for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and this is the place to get started with any financial aid application. Although it is for federal aid, state aid any many private and university scholarships are based on the student's FASFA application.
This page from the U.S Department of Education outlines federal student aid programs, with information on grants and scholarships, loans, work study jobs and more. Some important advice is contained under the "Avoiding Scams" section.
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has developed this page with links to all of the state's financial aid programs. According to NASFAA:,"Almost every state has at least one grant or scholarship available to residents, and many have a long list of student aid programs. Eligibility is usually restricted to state residents attending a college in-state, but that's not always the case." If you live in Connecticut, for example, but attend school in New York, you may want to check out aid programs from both states.
Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
This site provides information on income-based repayment (IBR), which is a way to make your federal student loan payments more manageable. The amount paid per month is based on monthly income, and those working in nonprofits or teaching might qualify for a new type of public service loan forgiveness after 10 years of eligible payments and employment.
American Institute Of CPAs' Financial Literacy Project
This professional association's 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy website offers general consumer advice on debt, credit cards, savings, etc. It also includes a section geared just to college students, and includes information college costs, saving plans, going to college as an adult, etc.
There are billions of dollars of financial aid available. Whether you are an adult or the parent of a student who is considering college, it is imperative that you get accurate information about financial aid so that you can acquire the funding to pay for school.
