| Finding money for college isn't necessarily difficult. | | | | When you get scholarship money for college, you |
| There are plenty of financial aid programs available for | | | | never have to pay it back. There are thousands of |
| those who need them. The difficulty lies in getting free | | | | scholarship programs, which means there's something |
| money for education. Most people want to go to | | | | for just about anyone. Often, scholarship programs |
| school and graduate without being thousands of dollars | | | | award money based on academic performance, |
| in debt. This means maximizing scholarships and | | | | interests, talent, or abilities. Some of them award |
| minimizing loans or graduating without taking student | | | | money to students who demonstrate leadership ability, |
| loans at all. Read on to learn about the basic types of | | | | for example. There are scholarships meant for |
| financial aid for college: | | | | students who are considered low income as well as |
| Student Loans: | | | | financial awards anyone can get, even if he cannot |
| When you take on a student loan, you get some of | | | | demonstrate financial need. There are even |
| the money you need for college. Depending on your | | | | scholarships you can get just because you're |
| level of financial need or your credit score, you may | | | | left-handed or have an interest in potatoes. |
| secure a healthy portion of your tuition as student | | | | Grant Money: |
| loans. The problem with this is you eventually have to | | | | This is another type of free money for college. You do |
| pay college loans back--with interest. Usually, student | | | | not have to repay grant money; it's a gift. Often, |
| loan terms are pretty reasonable, and you may have | | | | people are confused about the difference between |
| some of your payments deferred if you experience | | | | scholarships and grants. They're pretty similar, but |
| financial hardship or have trouble finding a job after | | | | scholarships are often based on merit while grants are |
| college. However, these loans will follow you for many | | | | more likely to be based on financial need and other |
| years, and you have to pay them back no matter | | | | factors, such as student status. Like scholarships, there |
| where your life takes you. You probably won't be able | | | | are tons of different grant programs. Some are |
| to get out of repaying them, even if you go bankrupt. | | | | administered through federal or state agencies while |
| College Scholarship Money: | | | | others may be offered by a particular college or even |
| This is the free college money we're talking about. | | | | by a private company. |