We recommend that you and your students visit StudentAid.gov/types for information on financial aid from the federal government and from states, schools, and private sources. Eligibility criteria for federal student aid are described at StudentAid.gov/eligibility.
Federal Student Aid
State Financial Aid
Financial Aid From the College
Finding Scholarships
Avoiding Financial Aid Scams
Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
Federal Student Aid
Aid is available from the federal government in the form of grants, work-study funds, and loans. Students use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form to apply. Besides referring your students to the information at StudentAid.gov/types to learn about federal aid, you also can recommend they visit StudentAid.gov/resources for fact sheets, videos, and infographics. Meanwhile, you can access those items and more here on the Financial Aid Toolkit. We've provided a feature to help you search financial aid tools and resources that you can use in advising students about aid.
Do You Need Money for College or Career/Trade School?(Result Type: PDF)
Description:Publication providing students with information on applying for aid, types of federal student aid, and eligibility. [404 KB]
Resource Type:Handout
AlsoAvailable in:Text Version(Result Type: General),Spanish(Result Type: PDF),Text Version - Spanish(Result Type: General)
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State Financial Aid
To find out about state financial aid for college, try www.ed.gov/sgt to find your state agency's website.
Talking point: Often, students and parents comment that they don't qualify for federal student aid or they qualify for too small an amount. State aid could help fill in some of the gaps.
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Financial Aid From the College
Many colleges offer financial aid from their own funds. Direct your students to visit a school's financial aid website for information about aid available at that school. For students with an interest in a particular area of study, encourage them to inquire about any available scholarships in that area or department.
Talking points:
- When a student submits the FAFSA® form, they are automatically applying for aid from not only the federal government but also the state and—in many cases—the college(s) listed on the FAFSA form.
- Students should be sure to meet any financial aid deadlines the school may have.
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Finding Scholarships
One of the most frequent questions we hear from students at college fairs or financial aid information events is, "How do I get money to help me pay for college?" While the FAFSA form is an application for certain grants and scholarships, not all students will qualify. That's why we've provided information to help them find and apply for scholarships at StudentAid.gov/scholarships.
Talking points:
- Students should spend the summer between their junior and senior years of high school looking for scholarships, determining which ones are right for them, noting application deadlines, and submitting any applications that they possibly can at that point. They'll have plenty to keep them busy during fall of senior year, so getting a head start will make a difference in levels of stress and anxiety.
- As a student assesses which online scholarship search to use, they should consider whether it is free and, if it requests personal information from the student, they should carefully read its privacy policy.
U.S. Department of Labor Scholarship Finder(Result Type: General)
Description:Free scholarship search tool for students finding scholarships along with information on how to apply.
Resource Type:Web Resource or Tool
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Avoiding Financial Aid Scams
Financial aid scams are less prevalent now than they were 10 or 15 years ago, but you'll still want to remind students to keep their eyes open as they look for financial aid for college. Refer them to StudentAid.gov/scams for tips.
Talking points:
- You can find plenty of sources of financial aid without paying anyone for help or paying an application fee for the aid.
- The first F in "FAFSA" stands for "Free."
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Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
Eligibility for federal student aid is based on financial need and on several other factors such as U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizenship, enrollment in an eligible program, satisfactory academic progress in college, and more. The full list of our basic eligibility criteria is on our student site.
Tip: A quick URL to share with your students for information on federal student aid eligibility criteria is StudentAid.gov/eligibility.
Talking point: There is no such thing as an income cut-off for federal student aid. Eligibility is based on a number of factors, including a complicated mathematical formula. No student should assume that they won't qualify for federal aid. Filling out the FAFSA form is the only way to find out. And please remind your students that the FAFSA form is also an application for state and school aid—and many schools won't consider a student for their aid (even merit-based aid) unless the student submits a FAFSA form.
15 Myths We're Busting About the FAFSA® Process article(Result Type: General)
Description:Article for students debunking common myths about the 2023–24 FAFSA form and process.
Resource Type:Article or Blog Post
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