Educational expenses today are skyrocketing and it's becoming increasingly difficult to cope with related costs like tuition fees, hostel and food charges while studying in a reputed university.
Does this mean that you have to be deprived of quality education in spite of scoring high marks? There no reason to give up when there is help available in the form of University Financial Aid.
Look out for suitable grants and aids well in advance, because unless you put in some effort, you will be deprived of the best possibilities available.
Some go under the assumption that they are not eligible for any kind of aid which could be all wrong.
Students planning to apply for such aid should approach the Student Guidance Councilor's office in their respective universities.
He will be given a form to fill in.
He can also download this form from the net.
This is called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
A lot of information has to be filled in like the student's driver's license number, monthly income of his family, business records if any etc.
All information provided should be genuine and up to date.
He will have to wait for a while before the concerned people process his details and give him the Student Aid Report which states the amount for which he is eligible for considering his financial background, marks scored etc.
There are some helpful resources like the University Aid Calculator which a student can use to know a rough estimate of his entitled amount.
You can also get idea of the various grants that you are eligible for.
There are various privileges attached to various grants, make sure you know all of them.
The number of years the financial aid will be available should also be ascertained.
In some cases certain grants are renewable.