Scholarships and Financial Aid

Every single scholarship offered has varying criteria. Some are for certain minority groups. Some are for certain membership organizations. Some, one gets through a specific application process, like an essay. Some have a requirement of certain accomplishments, like Girl Scout Silver Award or Boy Scout Eagle Award. Some are given only to people of certain historical or cultural backgrounds. Some are for adherents to certain religions. Every single scholarship will be different as to who can apply. These sites list MANY different scholarships and explain the requirements for each. Homeschoolers will not qualify for every single one. But neither will any other individual.

Homeschoolers and Free Application for Federal Student Aid

 (FAFSA) http://www.ahem.info/FAFSA.htm

Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) 

http://www.mefa.org/index.aspx is a comprehensive website offering a multitude of resources from how to apply for financial aid, links to financial aid applications, saving for college, college loans, payment plans, calculating your EFC (expected family contribution), and also offers resources in Spanish. This site is available for all parents and students as they navigate the financial aid process.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/: This must be filled out and submitted ASAP after January 1 of the senior year. Can be done online and updated later.

National Merit Scholarships

http://www.ahem.info/NationalMerit.htm

US Department of Education Aid Programs

 http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp

HOPE and Lifetime Learning Tax Credit

IRS Tax Information for Students - http://www.irs.gov/individuals/students/index.html
Tax Benefits for Education - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf

National Association of Student Finanical Aid Administrators

http://www.nasfaa.org/Home.asp

FinAid: The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid

http://www.finaid.org/

Financial Aid Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator 

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml

Scholarship scams

http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml

College Finanical Aid Offices

http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/fao.phtml

Index of American Universities

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/au/

The College Board

 http://www.collegeboard.org

SuperCollege.com

http://www.supercollege.com/

FastWeb!Scholarship Search

 http://fastweb.com/

Tuition Tax Credits and Deductions

(Publication #970) http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=245502,00.html

National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/