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What is financial aid? Why all college bound students should apply

By Beth Ziehmer

September 30, 2015

Financial aid is one of the tools that make higher education possible for many students. Federal financial aid includes:

• Scholarships: Gift aid
• Grants: Gift aid, normally do not have to be repaid
• Work-study: Allows students to earn money to pay educational expenses
• Student loans: Loans have to be repaid and should be used as a last resort

Students can apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid). Note that the first word of this application is free. This form is free to complete, so students and parents should never pay any fees.

The FAFSA should be submitted as soon as possible after the first of the year the student plans to attend school. Some schools award their financial aid on a first-come, first-served basis and require that all students, including those that receive merit aid (non-need based), submit a FAFSA.

Students and parents need to exhaust all free forms of financial aid prior to borrowing student loans. As a general guide, students should never borrow more than their expected starting yearly salary. To help students avoid over-borrowing, they should use the debt/salary wizard located at mappingyourfuture.org/paying/debtwizard/.

Visit mappingyourfuture.org/paying/financialaid.cfm to explore and review financial aid options.