Scholarships, Financial Aid, and Other Financial Resources

Scholarships facilitate choice and affordability for students of varying income levels.

Student loans offer students an option of paying for school if they cannot afford tuition out of pocket or if scholarships and grants do not fully cover their college-related expenses.

TRIO Specific Scholarships

• SMSU TRIO Scholarship -  1 award for $1,000 

College Greenlight

College Greenlight has a database of over 8,000 national and local scholarship opportunities and allows the students to create a free profile that matches scholarships to them based on their unique strengths, accomplishments, and personalities. If your next step is a college education, make sure you take the time to fund that education the smart way: by taking advantage of scholarships and taking your financial future into your own hands.

Scholarship Information & Websites

• https://www.mnwest.edu/workforce-development-scholarship
• https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
• www.fastweb.com
• www.scholarshipamerica.org/
• www.cappex.com
• www.scholarships.com 

Minnesota Association of Counselors of Color:

https://www.mnacc.org/scholarships

Page Education Foundation:

https://www.page-ed.org/apply/application-closed/

Computer Science Majors Scholarship:

https://www.computerscience.org/scholarships-overview/

ROTC Scholarship Info:

https://blog.collegevine.com/a-guide-to-rotc-scholarships/

STEM Scholarship Info:

https://blog.collegevine.com/a-guide-to-stem-scholarships/

Scholarship Information/Tips:

https://clark.com/education/best-websites-resources-to-find-college/

How To Pay For College Without Student Loans or With Minimal Student Loan Debt:

Https://Clark.Com/Education/9-Ways-To-Pay-For-College-Without-Student-Loans/

Payment Plan Information:

https://www.consumerreports.org/paying-for-college/tuition-payment-plan-can-make-paying-bill-easier/  

Student Loan Information

How Student Loans Work:

https://www.thebalance.com/student-loans-101-315580

Types of Loans

https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans

Additional Sources:

• https://studentaid.gov/
• https://www.usa.gov/student-loans

Private Student Loans

https://www.lendingtree.com/student/

Videos Sharing Information on College and Financial Aid

TedTalks:

• What is a College Education?
• How College Loans exploit Students for Profit
• One Trillion Dollars, Student Debt

The reality of Student Debt & Personal Stories:

• Is Your Student Debt Worth It?
• Faces of Student Debt
• Voices of Debt—The Student Loan Crisis: Don’t Major in Debt
• Bloomberg – Why It’s So Hard to Get Rid of Student Debt
• America’s Student Debt Crisis: Jessie’s Story
• The Benefits of College 

Financial Terminology

https://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/content/dam/financial-literacy/practical-money-skills/pdfs/lessons/lev9-12/Glossary.pdf  

DID YOU KNOW? Scholarship and Financial Aid applications are FREE. They will never ask for money to apply for either opportunity. If they do, it is likely a scam.