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Get Help Paying for School From a Variety of Sources

• Federal Grants

  - These grants are free money offered by the U.S. government to help pay for an eligible college or career school. They are often need-based and don't have to be repaid. The four types of federal grants include the Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant and the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.

• Federal Loans

  - These loans are funded by the federal government and the four types of federal loans include the Federal Perkins Loan, Direct Subsidized Loan, Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Direct PLUS Loan.

• Private Loans

  - These loans are nonfederal loans, made by a lender such as a bank, credit union, state agency, or a school. Private loans generally lack the benefits of federal student loans.

• Scholarships

  - Money awarded to students based on academic or other achievements and can come from the federal government, your state government, your college or career school, or a private or nonprofit organization. Scholarships generally do not have to be repaid.

• State Aid

  - State governments offer grants, scholarships, work-study funds, state loans, and tuition assistance. You can learn more about the aid for your particular state by contacting your state's financial aid agency or a financial aid counselor at your school.

• Institutional Aid

  - Institutional financial aid consists of aid that individual colleges and universities provide to their students. This type of aid typically comes in the form of academic merit scholarships and need-based grants.

• Federal Work-Study

  - These are federally funded part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses.

• Employer Tuition Assistance

  - These programs includes a variety of employer-sponsored programs to help employees and their dependents pay for their education. In some cases the funds received from these programs will be tax-free.

• Aid for Military Families

  - Both the federal government and nonprofit organizations offer money for college to veterans, future military personnel, active duty personnel, or those related to veterans or active duty personnel. Many schools and employers also offer discounted tuition rates to eligible military families.