Student financial aid comes in several forms, including grants (outright gifts that are not repaid) and loans (either to students or to parents, often at subsidized interest rates). The federal government is the primary source of student financial aid, although private scholarship providers like the King Foundation also play a role.
For many years, the King Foundation awarded scholarship grants through partnerships with several different nonprofit organizations in Texas and Arkansas. The Foundation, however, began phasing out its participation in scholarship programs in 2006. We are honoring prior commitments, but are no longer awarding new scholarships.
Students seeking scholarship support have a wide range of information available to them on the Internet about all forms of financial aid. You will find suggestions of other websites to search for scholarship support below.
One note of caution about Internet scholarship search services. Be cautious of any firm that charges a fee and promises it will find you scholarships, or trumpets that billions in scholarship aid go unclaimed each year, yours simply for the asking. The scholarship process is highly competitive, so no one can guarantee you will receive a scholarship. And while some scholarship aid does go unclaimed each year, it amounts to only about 3 percent of all the scholarship moneys available. You can find more information on avoiding scams through the links at the end of this section.
Financial Aid.org
www.finaid.org
General information about student financial aid. Links to FastWeb for
scholarship searches.
U. S. Department of Education
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/publications.jsp
The Student Guide to Financial Aid is a comprehensive source of information to
explain financial aid and how to apply for it.
College for all Texans
www.collegefortexans.com
Site offering information about financial aid programs available to Texas
residents, especially the new Texas Grant program. A project of the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board.
FAFSA
www.fafsa.ed.gov
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a form that provides the data
on which financial aid decisions are based. Students may complete the FAFSA
starting on January 1 prior to the fall when they will enroll.
Students: First Choice Arkansas
http://iifs.adhe.edu/student_site/students.html
Site offering information on pursuing a college education in Arkansas. A
project of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund
www.aspf.org
Open to low-income single parents. Affiliates operate in 67 Arkansas counties and provide support services in addition to scholarship dollars.
The College Board
www.collegeboard.com
Good overall site for information about financial aid. Also provides free
scholarship search service.
College Connection Scholarships
www.collegescholarships.com
Free scholarship searches.
College View
www.collegeview.com
General information about college and financial aid, including free scholarship
searches.
FastWeb
www.fastweb.com
Information about choosing a college, paying for college, and finding jobs
during and after college.
Foundation Center Grants to Individuals Online
http://gtionline.fdncenter.org/learnmore/index.html
A great resource for individuals seeking grants for scholarships, fellowships,
artistic endeavors, and research. Subscription required, but it is modestly
priced.
The Scholarship Page
www.scholarship-page.com
Free scholarship searches.
Scholarships.com
www.scholarships.com
Free scholarship searches.
Jeannette Rankin Foundation
www.rankinfoundation.org
Foundation offering scholarships to low-income women ages 35 and older. Also
contains links to other sites of interest to nontraditional students, including
specific scholarship programs.
FinAid.org
www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml
Advice from FinAid.org on identifying, avoiding, and reporting scholarship
scams.
Federal Trade Commission
www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams
Guidance from the federal consumer protection agency on finding legitimate
scholarship search help.
U.S. Department of Education
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/misused/sscams.html
Tips from the federal agency about safe searches for financial aid.