Our kids are not at the college stage yet, but we have been doing everything we can to help prepare for their future. There are many ways to prepare for your kids educational future, including saving with college saving plans. Prior to birthing my kids, I started working in Financial Aid and I loved helping students with finding ways to pay for their college education.
There are lots of places students and parents can look to find funds to pay for college. My main recommendation to parents is to start the search during your child’s junior year of high school. Scholarships funds are usually gone fast, so it’s best to get on board as soon as possible.
Check With Your Job
One of the first places parents should check for help with college is with their jobs. Employees in the education field often have very attractive tuition remission and tuition reimbursement for their employees and often. their spouse and children as well. Contact your Human Resources Department to learn about the policy and see what is required if it is offered. It may be your one and only place to look depending on the job. Even outside of the education field some jobs give smaller scholarships that can help reduce the cost of tuition.
Search Online Website
Searching online is a great way to find scholarship funds when you’re thinking of heading to college. There are so many great sites and resources that provide information about scholarship sponsors like Premier Allergy, and it includes all the information you need to know about applying. Scholarship website gives you all the information in one place like deadlines, requirements to apply, and some even share about past winners.
Local Organizations
When looking for money for college, be sure to check within your own community. Sometimes local business and organizations offer scholarships for different reasons. It’s a great way to find scholarships that are niche based. Religious organizations sometimes provide scholarships to their members. Small businesses sometimes offer small scholarships to members of the community it serves. Even if one isn’t offered sometimes you can encourage a company to consider even if it
Local Government
Local government officials in Maryland have limited grant funds to give to their constituents. Senators and Delegates of your state has limited grant money to give to college students but often the deadlines are early in the year. Be sure to file your FAFSA as early as possible to write the letters required to get funds from your local government. Some states even have special programs for students with disabilities, foster children, and students who are returning to college after a break to get help with paying for their college.
Financial Aid Office
When I worked in financial aid every now and again we would get scholarships in the office to pass on to deserving students. It was totally up to the financial aid counselor to decide who would receive the funds. They are usually smaller scholarship, good for books or to help with taking a bit off your bill. The financial aid office is a great starting place even if you aren’t a current student since they help a lot of students with their dream of a college education.
Nickida
Nickida is a first-generation Trinidadian American wife and mother of four. She enjoys sharing recipes from her childhood growing up in Trinidad with her readers. Nickida has a son with Autism and shares posts around traveling with a child with special needs to help other families like her own. She loves television, movies and is a true 80's baby.
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