How to pay for college when you can’t pay for college

Scholarships

Apr 22

You’ve set up your phone so the camera is on you, the lighting just so, recording every finger-flying key strike. You’re clicking into your college applications on your laptop, and suddenly, your face contorts into the happiest of happy grins. As you jump up and cheer, you’re already thinking about how fast you’ll need to edit this to be the first person in your class to post to all the socials.

In spite of all the exams, studying, actively not falling asleep in class every Monday morning, volunteering, teacher-friending for those pesky letters of recommendation, and worrying about not getting in…

YOU. GOT. IN!

Congratulations! You’re going to college!

This is a huge deal. An exceptional one. Maybe you’re even the first person in your family to attend post-secondary education. Regardless of your circumstances, going to college is a milestone.

It’s also really expensive. Like, really expensive.

If you’re like most college students, you’ll be paying for your college degree using a combination of personal savings, bank loans and, with a bit of luck, grants, bursaries and scholarships. These last three options take some work, organization, and a lot of finger-crossing on your part. But getting help with the financial side of your schooling doesn’t have to equal huge amounts of stress. Here are some tips to show you the money when it comes to securing financial aid for college.

FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA)

This needs to be your first step when it comes to securing financial aid for college. Regardless of your household income, you might be eligible for federal, state, and school-based aid and merit-based scholarships. But you can’t receive any money if you never apply. Remember that when it comes to funding your college education, there ain’t no shame in the government financial aid game. Find out more about FAFSA.

TALK TO YOUR SCHOOL GUIDANCE COUNSELOR

You might not even know you had a guidance counselor, but now is as good a time as any to pay them a visit. Your guidance counselor will have lots of information about local, state, and federal funding options, over and above what FAFSA covers. So, don’t be a stranger! Go knock on your guidance counselor's door, introduce yourself if it’s your first time meeting them, and ask what information they have about financial aid. Keep in mind that it’s part of a guidance counselor’s job to help you with this; it’s okay to ask them to get more information on your behalf, especially if you have a particular financial aid option in mind. You’ll never know unless you ask, right?

SHOP LOCAL

Keeping with the theme of you-can’t-get-the-money-if-you-never-ask-for-it, take a look around your local community for organizations or businesses that might provide scholarships. A solid starting point is to visit your local library, as they will know of any community resources specific to financial aid for college students. While calling your library might be easier and faster, showing your face to those you’re asking for help from can go a long way, especially if you haven’t frequented the library since you were five and there for weekly storytime.

You can also approach non-profit organizations like the Shriners, Rotary Club or, if you were a member, 4H and FFA branches.

BROADEN YOUR (FINANCIAL) HORIZONS

You already know what you’re planning to study at college. Why not approach the professional organization(s) that you’ll eventually be registering with or joining in order to do the work you’ll eventually be doing? Oftentimes, professional organizations provide scholarships to students entering into or already in their field of study. If you have to be a registered college student to access funding, so what? You will be exactly that in a few short months, so mark it down on your spreadsheet to reach out once you’re into your first semester.

STAYING ORGANIZED

Speaking of spreadsheets, you do have one, right? Okay, maybe it’s not a spreadsheet (because spreadsheets can be scary). But you need to have some kind of written document to keep track of everywhere and everyone you approach about financial aid.

A document like this will help you:

Stay organized
Keep track of application deadlines
Make it quick and easy to know when, who, and how to follow up, if need be
Keep a running tab of how much money you have versus how much you need*

* If you applied for FAFSA, they need to know how much money you have and will adjust accordingly to match how much your college program costs. In other words, you will not be sippin’ champagne on FAFSA’s dime.

GOOD ‘OLE GOOGLE

If you happen to live in an area of the country that is particularly dry of financial aid for college students, Google wasn’t made for fun. (okay well, it was, but that’s not the point.). Start looking online for ways to finance your college expenses, using searches and keywords like:

How to pay for college in the US
Scholarships for college students in (insert your state/county/city/local area here)
Federal funding for college in America
State funding for college in America
Bursaries for college in USA

There are literally thousands of searches you could perform that will yield, at the very least, more ideas of where you can go for funding if not scholarships, grants, and bursaries just waiting for someone like you to apply for them. As you well know by now—let’s say it together now—you can’t get the money if you never ask for it.

YOU GOT THIS. NO, REALLY. YOU DO.

Is figuring out how to pay for college scary and severely not fun? Yes! But does that mean you should avoid it or plan on the Financial Aid Fairy coming to your rescue at the last minute? It would be nice, but the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. However, if there’s one tip that you take away from this article, it’s that you got this. You have come too far, have studied too hard, and stressed too much to back down from this particular challenge, only to watch your dreams of a college education melt away. There is financial aid out there for you, and believing in yourself and your ability to secure what you need is half the battle. When in doubt, imagine yourself walking across the stage at graduation in four years, smiling that same happiest of happy grins at the Dean of your college as you grasp your (totally just for show) diploma, and move your tassel from one side of the brim to the other.

First, you got in.

Then, you got this.

Now, go get it.

Jess Campbell

Jess is an accomplished storyteller. Sometimes, those stories are her own. But mostly, she helps other people tell their own stories in the best way possible, and has been doing so for a number of years.

Whether you need ideas – and written posts! – for a blog series or a feature editorial complete with interviewed sources, Jess is your writer. Her favourite thing about writing for her clients is the opportunity to hear their stories; to learn everything there is to know about a topic or person and then bring that story to life in a way that connects with and inspires audiences. It’s what has and will continue to drive her to do her best writing for her clients, always.

When she’s not working with clients, Jess is many things, including but not limited to: aspiring author, outstanding baker (just ask her father-in-law), mum to Fresh Air Media’s next generation, car-and-shower singer, ukulele enthusiast, inflexible yogi, inspired mental health advocate, covetous reader of all the books, semi-devoted half marathon runner, fully devoted Toronto Raptors fan, and unabashed Harry Potter/J.K. Rowling fanatic (which is fitting given her following quote).

“There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place.” ~ J.K. Rowling

https://www.thefreshair.ca/