Money Know-How:
Financial Football Training Camp
Turn your dollar knowledge into yards and touchdowns while playing this game!
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FLY: Financial Literacy for You
Learn more about money matters from scholarships to managing credit cards.
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MyMoney.gov
MyMoney.gov is the U.S. government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education.
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Cash for College
LOSFA Financial Aid Programs
Find out more about financial aid programs offered in your state.
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Scholarship Search
Get tips on scholarship search sites and learn how to avoid scholarship scams.
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TOPS Brochures and Flyers
Get the scoop on how to earn TOPS and keep the award once you get it.
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Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and the National SMART Grant
Could you be eligible for this money in the future? Find out what you need to do to be prepared.
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Welcome to Your College Connection – Going2College.org
Find all the resources available in your state to help you prepare for college and a career, including information on college savings and financial aid.
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It Pays to Save
Test Your Savings Knowledge
Test your savings knowledge and find out how changes in your spending habits can affect your savings for college
SavingForCollege.com
Get information about Section 529 college savings plans while learning about other ways to save and pay for college.
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Saving For College, FinAid
Learn how savings add up to help accumulate the funds to pay for college.
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Savings Plan Designer Flat Contribution
Find out how much money you need to save each month to an interest-bearing bank account or investment fund to reach your savings goals.
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Suggested books by FinAid
Give your parents homework too! This website highlights 11 books on saving and investing, many of them focused on parents who are planning to invest in their children’s educations.
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Find Federal Aid
FinAid
Learn about the different types of aid available to students, including scholarships, federal and state aid, institutional aid, and student profile-based aid.
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Financial Aid for International Students
Most international students are not eligible for federal financial aid, but this eduPass website gives information on financing college for international students.
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FAFSA4caster
Find out whether you would qualify for Pell Grants if you were going to college today. Get an estimate of what you would be likely to receive.
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CSO College Center
CSO College Center is a free tool to assist students research and connect with colleges active in the recruitment of first-generation, low-income, and minority students and gain valuable insight and advice through the college process.
A new component of the website, the Opportunity Scholars Blog follows 10 dynamic students who beat the odds to become the first in their family to attend college, including a student from New Orleans who is attending Dillard University.
They will be using this blog to diary their college experiences and offer advice to college-bound students on preparing for college.
Students who register on CSO College Center become Opportunity Scholars, will receive monthly email newsletters from CSO, and are eligible to apply for CSO's $1,000 Opportunity Scholarship and become one of our future bloggers.
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College Price Tags
CNN Money, What Will College Run You?
Search for the annual expenses of any college in the United States.
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FinAid College Cost Projector
Get an estimate of how much college will cost in the year you are likely to enroll.
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Trends in College Pricing 2007
Learn about average expenses of different types of colleges—two-year, four-year, private, and public.
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College Navigator
Get prices on everything from tuition to room and board.
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Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan
LOSFA Middle School Timeline
Get the scoop on the steps you need to take to plan your path to college.
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College Knowledge Planning Tool
Use this to stay on track and work your plan
Click Here to View the LOSFA 'Track Your Progress Worksheet' (pdf)
Your life. Your future. Your LA ePortal
LA ePortal is Louisiana's state-of-the-art online career, college and work planning guide for today's students.
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NCAA
Are you a student athlete? Check this out to see what you need to do to plan to play.
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Are You Going?
Check out more cool tools and more cool profiles for why you should go and what you should do to get ready.
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Know How 2 Go
Don’t miss a beat. Use this guide to learn about the college preparation process from middle school through high school. Check out the seven step process for exploring career options.
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Be Organized as You Start College
Although more and more of what we do in life, such as shopping, communicating with friends, travel planning, applying for financial aid, etc, can be done
online, we still receive a lot of paper. It can become overwhelming and fill our lives with clutter.
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Top 10 Characteristics to Consider During College Visits
Important things to consider as you choose a college
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The 10 Best College Websites
FREE Online ACT/SAT Preparation Course
Choose a Future
Explore Career Information
“What do you like?” Match what you like to do to possible careers.
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U.S. News and World Report Best Careers
Find out what are considered to be the top 25 professions in demand in upcoming years and how much you could get paid to do those jobs.
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Career One Stop
Explore career options and educational requirements for different jobs.
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Eight Steps To Winning A Scholarship
Financial aid administrators offer advice to students
Families often hear about the millions of scholarship dollars that go unused each year, an anecdote that has been repeated so many times that it is accepted as fact. Unfortunately, this pot of scholarships at the end of the rainbow is a myth: While some scholarships go unused, much of the money included in that figure comes from employers' tuition remission programs. There are scholarships out there, however, and you can increase your odds of winning one by following these eight steps:
- Consult the financial aid office: The largest amount of financial aid comes from federal, state, and institutional grants and tuition discounts. Your financial aid office can help you find information on available scholarships, grants, and loans according to your needs and background.
- Contact your academic department: If you have already decided on a major, your academic department may be aware of awards designated for students in your area of study. The student aid office does not always have information on these highly specific programs, so be sure to check both.
- Use a free scholarship search engine: Ask the student aid office to recommend free scholarship search sites other students have found useful. Online searches let you focus on scholarships that fit your personal characteristics, helping you target your search to only those scholarships for which you are most likely to qualify. Some sites bombard users with promotional scholarships that may turn out to be advertisements in disguise, however, so make sure you know what you are signing up for when and if you give out your personal information.
- Never assume: Don't believe that because you don't have straight A's and can't shoot a 3 pointer, there's nothing available to you. There are scholarships available based on hobbies, interests, background, financial need, etc. According to FinAid.com, there's even a $1,000 scholarship for a left-handed student. Seek out local and national organizations and associations in your areas of interest to see whether any scholarship opportunities exist.
- Write the essay: No one likes to write essays, so use that fact to your advantage. Scholarships that require essays receive fewer applicants, giving you a better chance of qualifying. Keep copies of all the application materials you submit; often essays and other application materials can be tweaked and used again for future applications. Be sure to thoroughly proofread before submitting each application.
- Stack up the small scholarships: Studies show that families often overlook scholarships that are less than $500. You may be thinking that these awards won't even make a dent in your college costs, but adding up multiple small awards can prove to be a benefit in your scholarship quest.
- Apply early: The best time to apply is NOW! Waiting too long will result in missed deadlines. Seniors should start filling out applications to meet the early or mid-fall application deadlines. Don't wait to be accepted to a college to research and apply for private scholarships. If you don't receive a scholarship the first time around, don't get discouraged. Most scholarships are not limited to freshmen; you may have better luck the following year.
- Don't get scammed: The Federal Trade Commission warns consumers about scholarship scams, which promise that, for a fee, they can help the family access more student aid. Similar scams charge students high scholarship search or application fees. According to the FTC, "[M]ost scholarship sponsors do not charge up-front fees to apply for funding, and no legitimate scholarship sponsor can guarantee that you will win an award." The financial aid office at your school can help you apply for student aid, and free scholarship searches are available online.
Even without scholarships, families can still find ways to afford college. Start by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and contact your school's financial aid office to find out what federal, state, and institutional aid you might qualify for. Finding money for college is a lot like taking classes: The way to succeed is to do your homework. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 14,000 financial aid professionals at nearly 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. Each year, financial aid professionals help more than 16 million students receive funding for postsecondary education. Based in Washington, D.C., NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators. In addition to its member Web site at www.NASFAA.org, the Association offers a Web site with financial aid information for parents and students at www.studentaid.org/.
