While owning a home has long been considered part of the “American Dream,” getting a college education for free has quickly become the “American Fantasy.” Students across the country search eagerly (and sometimes frantically) each year for merit and grant aid to help pay their college bills. Many daydream of a “free ride,” and while it may be hard to find, it does indeed exist—and it’s not just for superstar students.

Check out these schools for a shot at turning your “American Fantasy” into reality.

Work for Your Degree

The seven member schools of the Work Colleges Consortium (WCC) put their students to work in exchange for their education, trading on-campus jobs for tuition.

If you live in the Appalachian region, check out Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, or Berea College in Berea, Kentucky—these schools specifically serve students in your backyard. College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, calls itself “Hard Work U” because all of its students work 15 hours per week, including jobs at the computer center, child development center, dairy barn, and museum.

The other WCC members are Blackburn College, Ecclesia College, Sterling College, and Warren Wilson College.

Free Tuition…if You’re in the Right Field

Want to be a teacher? The City University of New York’s Teacher Academy offers free tuition for future science and mathematics teachers. Academy graduates receive teaching positions at New York City’s public middle and high schools.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City focuses on the areas of engineering, art, and architecture. The college admits students based on merit and provides all students with a full-tuition scholarship.

Are you a musician at heart? Check out Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Competition for admission is tough, as the institute enrolls only about 160 students. But if you make the cut, your tuition (valued at $33,500) is paid for each year by a full scholarship.

Calling all engineers: The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Massachusetts, offers an outstanding education for its select student body of just over 300 students. You’ll need to have a strong background in math and science, but the college is looking for students with interests and passions beyond these areas as well to create a well-rounded student body.

Take to the seas at Webb Institute in Glen Cove, New York, where the focus is on naval architecture and marine engineering. Rigorous academics and loads of real-world experience help Webb graduates prepare for rewarding careers.

Follow Your Faith

Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, funds the tuition of its students ($17,500 annually) through donations. Students are only responsible for room, board, medical insurance, and a few additional fees.

For Men Only

Deep Springs College in California enrolls a small all-male student body. Students here take thought-provoking classes and work at least 20 hours per week on the college’s alfalfa farm and cattle ranch. Students attend Deep Springs for two years on a full scholarship (valued at $50,000 per year) and go on to complete their degrees at four-year institutions across the nation.

By: CollegeView

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Collegeview is a great resource to help students and their parents as they begin their college search. The website provides information about free scholarships, www.collegeview.com/financialaid/index.html”> financial aid , career information and more. Collegeview offers profiles of thousands of universities that can be searched by area of study, name, and location.

Minority scholarships can be easier to come by than you might think. It is important to keep these scholarships in mind as you are searching for schools and applying for colleges. It is also important to make sure that you are aware of the various ways that you can apply for scholarships, because they will allow you to attend school for a much cheaper rate than otherwise. In fact, your college education could potentially be entirely free with college scholarships and college grants!

The cost of college is absolutely skyrocketing, as each college, public and private, is raising tuition and other costs on an almost yearly basis. This happens for a lot reasons. For instance, schools are paying more for rentals and utilities, and much more in taxes. Therefore, they need to charge more for tuition. Also, schools are offering more in the way of classes and more diverse majors and programs. This also leads to an increase in costs. Minority scholarships can help offset these costs, if you know where to find them and how to apply for them.

Minority scholarships are scholarships that are offered to minorities. There are lots of them out there, and there is a lot of good news for you when it comes to them. Although costs are getting higher by the year, it is surprising that lots of people don’t apply for scholarships. Actually, there are thousands of scholarships that are available each year – but many of them aren’t even awarded because there is no one to apply for them. When scholarships are offered, they are simply money that is given away to the students who qualify the best for them. When no one applies, or when someone applies who is not qualified, these scholarships, even minority scholarships, can go completely unawarded.

Another thing to remember about minority scholarships is that often today they are not just geared towards a financial need. There are still financial scholarships available, so if you are in a financial situation you should be able to find lots of scholarships that are available to you. However, there are also scholarships that are geared towards certain fields of study, certain heritages, or other types of qualifications that you might not have even thought about. Therefore, these scholarships can be available to you no matter where you are going or what you are into. There are lots of scholarships that are specially earmarked to be awarded to many minorities – and most of them are simply available for you to reach out and take.

When you are looking for minority scholarships, keep in mind that there are lots of places to find them. Be sure that you do as much research as you can to ensure that you have given yourself the best chance of finding the perfect minority scholarships for your needs. You can even be awarded multiple scholarships and/or grants, since there is no limit to the number you can have. Some might be smaller, like $300 which will not go a long ways towards offsetting your college education, but if you had 20 of those and/or also much larger scholarships to help you out, that could go a long way!

The bottom line is to just apply for as many as you can, because the only rule is that if you do not take the time and trouble to apply, it is guaranteed that it will not be awarded to you.

As seniors begin to celebrate their final year in high school, their thoughts quickly race to senior prom, senior pictures and grad night. However, it is just as important that they focus some of their energy into applying for college scholarships.

It is estimated that more than 9 million students receive grants or loans from the Department of Education each year. Despite the $83 billion that they will award this year, students and families must look at additional options to help pay for college including scholarships. Below are 20 helpful tips to begin the process.

APPLICATION PACKETS:

1. Request packets in advance.
2. Make copies of the packet information in the event you make anY errorS and need to redo the
application.
3. Type your application packet.
4. If you do not have a typewriter consider having the document scanned and put on a disk.
5. Print your information on the application (only as a last resort).
6. Have your application reviewed for typos and clarity.

APPLICATION DEADLINES:
7. Send out the application a week before the application deadline.
8. Keep a copy of the completed application for your records.
9. If the packet needs to be received within a few days considering sending it overnight.
10. Do NOT send your application late, it reflects poorly on your organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION:
11. Request letters of recommendation well in advance of deadline.
12. Request letters from individuals that can speak to your accomplishments.
13. A generic letter is worse than having a missing letter.
14. Provide your writers with prepaid postage envelopes.
15. Provide your writers with a resume or brief portfolio of your accomplishments and activities.
16. Follow-up with your writers to be sure that your letters of recommendation have been
mailed.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:
17. Include all extracurricular activities during high school.
18. Include activities that occur sporadically.
19. Service activities are necessary to be competitive.
20. Activities that demonstrate leadership qualities are also important.

FREE SCHOLARSHIP DATABASES
FinAid: The SmartStudentTM Guide to Financial Aid
Website address: www.finaid.com
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College is becoming more and more expensive every year. For those that want to go to college but simply can’t afford it this can be a very discouraging thing.

This is where scholarships and grants come in. A scholarship or grant can give you the financial assistance you need in order to start or continue your higher education.

A scholarship is simply a financial merit-based award that one must apply for. Scholarships come in many different shapes and forms. For example, your scholarship may be for housing and books or it could be for tuition only. It could also be only for a percentage of your tuition or housing. What you get all depends on the terms and conditions of each individual scholarship. Some scholarships can also only last for a certain period of time. For instance, a scholarship could only be for one academic year or it could be it could be for 4 years. Once again this all depends on the terms and conditions of the scholarship. You will be required to meet certain criteria in order to qualify for certain scholarships.
Grants on the other hand are something completely different. There is still an application process but a grant is rewarded in the form of a time one payment for a specific purpose. You might get a grant for a project you are working on or you might get a housing grant if your family’s income falls below a certain level. Either way you will receive the grant as a one time payment of a set amount.

Scholarships can be applied for by just about anyone who is attending or who plans on attending a higher learning institution. The applications are normally pretty extensive and can take a considerable amount of time to fill out properly. Make one wrong move and your entire application can be discarded. It is very important that you read ALL the instructions and make sure you understand everything before you start the application. Remember that there will be literally a thousand other applicants so you want to make sure everything is right and you also want to make sure your application stands out from the crowd.

The number one rule is to always tell the truth. If you don’t it could come back and get you. They do investigate and do research to make sure what you are saying on your application is true. If they find out you are being dishonest your application will be rejected immediately. Be honest and up front. Show any awards and merits you have in the best possible light. It is also a great idea to apply for several scholarships. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You want to get as much money as you can for college.

Applying for scholarships and grants can be very confusing and frustrating. That’s why it is so important that you get a full understanding of what is required of you before you start the application process. College is becoming more and more expensive so you can use all the financial help you can get. Take this serious. Your future could depend on it.

If college is in your future, yet the ability to pay for it seems out of reach, one of the best options is to get a scholarship. However, applying for and receiving scholarships is not always as cut and dried as you may wish. Here are some tips you can use to help you land a winning scholarship and get the education you desire.

First, start looking for scholarships as soon as possible. Some programs require you to apply even before you are a senior, and many require you to apply early in your senior year. Even if it is too early to apply, knowing the application deadline ahead of time will ensure that you do not miss it.

When filling out the application, read the requirements in full before you begin. These applications take time, and if you do not qualify, you are wasting your time. Once you are sure that you qualify, read the instructions two times. Then, follow them exactly. Any mistakes could cost you a scholarship that you are absolutely qualified to receive. If you have a question, ask, rather than guessing and making a mistake. Talk to the financial aid officer at the college of your choice or the guidance counselor at your high school. Have them proofread the application if they are willing and make sure it is error free.

You want your scholarship application to stand out from the crowd. Make sure it is neat. Mail it neatly as well. Do not wad up the application and stuff it in a business-sized envelope. Keep the pages flat and send them in a large envelope. Consider springing for FedEx delivery or certified mail.

Remember to look in unlikely places for scholarships. Most schools have school-based awards, so talk to the financial aid office to see if you qualify for one of these. Also, there are many businesses and organizations in your local area that will offer scholarships for local kids. These have less competition, making them a great option for those who qualify.

There are also things you can do to put yourself in a good position for receiving a scholarship outside of the application process. The more active you are in your community, the better your chances to qualify for a scholarship. Also, you need to keep your grades up. Most of the best scholarships have some sort of merit component, which means your GPA will be a factor. The better your grades, the better your chances of receiving a scholarship will be.

What is the key to finding college scholarships? Know your sources. Higher education is expensive, but every year more and more money is given away to supplement that cost. A quick online search for “scholarships” reveals almost 66,000,000 keyword hits! Well, how do you narrows these down? There are many sources already planned and mapped out for you.

First, check out government online sources. The government alone will provide over $83 billion dollars in aid this year.

Ed.gov – The US Department of Education website has a wealth of knowledge regarding financial aid. Clicking on the “Student Financial Aid” link on the right menu bar will bring you the in depth articles discussing government money. You can learn how to apply for college aid, federal student aid, or federal loans here.

Students.gov – Not only can you find scholarships, but they lay out a full fledge college planning course. Information found here includes military programs ( G.I. Bill ) , career planning, and even state level funding articles.

Fafsa.ed.gov – Fafsa is the “Federal Application For Student Aid” This is the basic government requirement for federal aid. Here you are taught how to fill out the application as well how to follow up your application.

Government funding actually doesn’t have a lot of “red tape” to get the cash and the requirements are sometimes a great deal more relaxed that other sources.

Secondly, online search databases are a great place to find scholarship money. There are hundreds of them out there. A quick search for “scholarship search” will pull up more than enough to find good matches. Most of these sites will require in depth personal information down to your address, phone number, or high school. Make sure to check out their privacy policies to see how your information is handled. These search engines will match scholarships to you based on your given personal information. One slight drawback to this type of searching will be the advertising that you have to wade through. You are given to option to skip most ads so it is only mildly annoying. I will only try scholarships databases that are free. You should not be required to pay for this type of information.

Lastly, look around for corporate or business funding. Many corporate and business entities have a employee education program. Both parties have a stake in your education, so feel free to look around for your “ideal” job and find companies that match your ideal. Call them up and see if they offer some employment education incentives. Most companies will fund a portion of your higher education in exchange for so many years of dedicated service. Fortune 500 companies are more than willing to find tax write-offs in education.

Financial aid can be found almost anywhere. Get passionate and make funding your education a full time jobs for a couple weeks. Adopt a “Ain’t to proud to beg attitude” if you want to succeed.