How to get the Most Financial Aid

In order to maximize your financial aid options, you need to utilize all the resources at your disposal. If this is your first time applying for financial aid, high school guidance counselors and advisors can help you find exactly what you need. They conduct financial aid searches on a daily basis as well as help students fill out the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). By picking their brains you save yourself hours of work and leads to dead ends. 

If you are already an enrolled college student, your financial aid office can assist you in making the most of out the financial aid that is out there. (And maybe even help you find more!) There really is money out there for your education, but it takes diligence to search out the right opportunities.

FAFSA

Your first step needs to be the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA application doesn't take long to complete - requiring you mostly to pull numbers from your tax forms - and it opens many doors when it comes to financial aid. Many scholarships and grants require a completed FAFSA form before considering your application. This document allows those with the money to assess your financial need quickly and fairly when it comes to college tuition. The more correctly and honestly you fill out your FAFSA, the more you may be awarded. 

Organize your search

As you begin your search, mark down the websites and due dates of all the scholarships and grants you're interested in. For simplification, develop a spreadsheet for all the information - this is also a great way to help maximize your financial aid. Between the scholarships and grants you find and the ones suggested by your advisors, you may easily lose track of all the information and you don't want to waste time re-running searches you already completed. You can organize the spreadsheet by date and then prioritize, putting more stock in the scholarships that you match exactly.

Stay up to date

Keep checking back with the different places you are planning on receiving money from. If there is a change in how you apply, change in due dates, or if more money is available, you will want to be aware of these goings on. This may mean checking the website on a weekly basis, or following their social media accounts. 

Check out the Department of Education's website for up to date information and resources on how to get the most money available for your scholastic endeavors, as well as any announced changes you may need to be aware of in filling out the FAFSA. 

Regularly visiting the financial aid office at your school shows you are proactive and intent on finding money for your education. 

Meet with your advisor

Once you build your spreadsheet, meet with your advisor again to go over your plan. The advisor might direct you to other scholarships, tell you how to become successful and reveal any knowledge that may give you an edge. In addition, the advisor might know someone who can give you a letter of recommendation who might mean something specific to the scholarship board. You want to use all the resources in your arsenal to improve your chances and maximize your financial aid.

Build a portfolio

Many of the applications are going to ask for similar information. Start a portfolio of your answers, applications, writing samples, and basically anything you used in a scholarship application. By having all this information in one place, you save massive amounts of time on the subsequent applications. The more streamlined your process, the more applications you can complete. So many sources of money exist that it's impossible to fill out every application, but you can increase your numbers by staying focused and organized. Set goals for yourself, such as the number of applications you wish to find or fill out per day. You will find money to help you pay for college tuition, just keep looking, working the steps and doing everything possible to maximize your financial aid.