How to Find Scholarship Money for College Expenses

Des Moines, IA., May 5, 2009 - The task of paying for college is challenging, especially during a recession. To people who are new to the world of college financial aid, it may be tempting to pay someone to lead the way through the process.

Before you open your wallet to pay someone to find your college funding, do your research to ensure you are getting what you need. In most cases, you can do everything yourself with more success and save your money for something more important, like tuition.

In your quest to find dollars for college, begin by tallying your resources. One of your resources lies in your child's experiences. Create a list of all the activities and organizations in which your child has been involved. Some scholarship donors want to know about personal experiences, struggles and hardships, your child has had to overcome. By listing these experiences, you will be able to pinpoint the scholarships for which your student may be eligible.

Scholarships are available in a variety of places through federal, state and local funding. Scholarships are awarded by local and national organizations and through colleges and universities. With so many different sources for scholarships, it is necessary to use different methods to search for scholarships. If you have limited time to look for scholarship opportunities, try to focus on applying where you have the best odds of winning a scholarship.

Many businesses, organizations and individuals create scholarships for the local community, which are often posted through your child's high school.

Scholarships offered by private organizations also exist on the national level. Private scholarships in general require the most work because you have to seek them out. There are websites with free scholarship searches available to you. The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid), a state agency, has links to a wealth of scholarship information at www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.

Most colleges and universities post information about institutional awards, money awarded by the college or university, on their websites. Scholarship information is usually found under the Admissions or Financial Aid pages, but you should also look for scholarships within departmental pages relating to the majors and activities your child finds interesting.

Information on every State and Federal scholarship program can be found at www.iowacollegeaid.gov. The majority of these programs are based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is a federal form filed after January 1 of your student's senior year in high school and is used to determine eligibility for a plethora of financial aid resources. Iowa College Aid's website gives you the information and resources you need to file your FAFSA.

Knowing that you have resources available to help you get your children to college, you can relax a bit. Stay on the lookout for scholarship money while you enjoy your child's last year in high school.

For more information about scholarship searching and financial aid, please visit the Iowa College Aid website at www.IowaCollegeAid.gov or contact an Information Service Center Specialist at 877-272-4456.

About the Iowa College Student Aid Commission
As the state's designated guaranty agency for the Family Federal Education Loan Program (FFELP), Iowa College Aid guarantees more than $696 million annually in student loans from private lenders to support over 77,000 Iowa students and parents.. In addition, Iowa College Aid administers state scholarship, grant, and loan forgiveness programs totaling over $69.5 million, provides borrowers with assistance to avoid the serious consequences of default, conducts research and distributes higher education data, and offers Iowans assistance in obtaining student financial aid and college-related information. More information is available at www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.

Posted 05/07/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Posting of press releases is done as a service to Members and does not imply endorsement or support by NASFAA. NASFAA does not review this information for content or accuracy.