There are several ways to fund your college education: Financial aid is money lent or given to you to help you pay for college, while grants and scholarships are kinds of financial aid that you don’t have to pay back and so are sometimes referred to as “gift aid”.
Sources for funding can be from governments (Federal and State), individual colleges, and private organizations such as companies, foundations, and community organizations.
Research for scholarship opportunities should generally be done during the summer between your junior and senior years. However, application deadlines and requirements vary by each scholarship/organization so we encourage students to give themselves ample time to research and meet any application requirements. Naviance contains information on many scholarship opportunities and is a great place to start your search.