Financial Aid & Scholarships
Start Early!
Financial aid and scholarships are essential for post-secondary planning, as they provide students with access to education, reduce financial barriers, and support long-term academic and career success.
A great place to start is the Federal Student Aid website.
As you prepare for college or career school, better Understand Financial Aid by exploring how financial aid works, learning about the types of aid, and finding out if you’re eligible. You can also estimate what aid you may be eligible for when you check out Federal Student Aid Estimator.
Financial Aid
Financial Aid is financial assistance to pay for any type of college is available from a variety of sources. Student aid includes grants, institutional scholarships, work-study jobs, and loans.
Resources
- Do You Need Money for College or Career/Trade School?
- College Cost Calculator - Use to compare aid packages
- Swift Student - Find out how to request a change to your aid package
- CT Students for a Dream - Information for undocumented students and their families
- Freshman Parents - Start Saving Now! The Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) is a state-sponsored, tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan that’s helping families and individuals plan for the cost of higher education. It’s available to any citizen or tax payer and just about anyone can help contribute including grandparents, other family members and friends.
Scholarships
There are thousands of scholarships offered by schools, employers, individuals, private companies, nonprofits, communities, religious groups, and professional and social organizations.
There are dozens of scholarships listed on Naviance. The College Board has its own scholarships. Also, check out RaiseMe where you can start to earn micro scholarships as soon as 9th grade.
Note: Institutional scholarships are awarded by the school that you decided to attend. Private scholarships are awarded by outside institutions and organizations.
Some institutional scholarships for 2- and 4-year colleges are merit-based. You earn them by meeting or exceeding certain academic standards set by the scholarship giver. Other scholarships are based on a families financial need.
Many private scholarships are geared toward particular groups of people; for instance, there are scholarships for women or graduate students. Some are available because of where you or your parent work, or because you come from a certain background (i.e. scholarships for military families).
A scholarship might cover the entire cost of your tuition, or it might be a one-time award of a few hundred dollars. Either way, it’s worth applying for because it’ll help reduce the cost of your education.