Finding Financial Support While in College

Attending college is expensive, and the price tag for continued education only increases by the year. Some costs are fixed and predictable such as tuition, room and board, and books. Other costs are variables and sometimes unexpected costs can occur during your time in college. A tip to prepare or handle potential financial problems during college is to be aware of multiple resources that can be utilized when needed. Here are a few general options you can explore when looking for funding.

As a student at your college, you can be eligible for exclusive grants or scholarships funded by the school and other partners. For example, there are grants available to students in specific degree departments to award things such as scholarship, leadership, and academic excellence. The best way to be alerted of these opportunities is to subscribe to your department's announcements email list and to talk to a department advisor. By applying to funding exclusively provided to students in your department, there is a greater chance of receiving the reward than with other scholarship pools with more applicants. Furthermore, receiving the award would be a wonderful addition to your resume as it shows that you’ve been positively recognized by your department/college for your work.

Just because you’ve been admitted to college, doesn’t disqualify you from receiving scholarship aid. As a current college student, you can still apply for scholarships. To get the most out of the time and effort of completing those applications, focus on scholarships that provide reoccurring awards versus one-time rewards. One of the best ways to find these scholarships is to go a google search using keywords that relate to the type of student you are. For example, if I was an architecture student, I would search phrases like “current college students scholarships for architecture”. Similar to applying for scholarships before college, you can reuse prompt responses throughout different applications. Find applications that have similar questions and apply to as many as you qualify for.

Though we hope you don’t encounter these often, financial emergencies can occur while you’re a student. An unexpected fall can end the life of your precious laptop. You could lose a previously guaranteed source of income/support. The list of possible unfortunate scenarios is endless. There is still hope to find financial support from your college (or other emergency fund providers) for these cases. When you encounter something like this, book an appointment with your college’s financial aid office. It’s best to be prepared for this meeting by bringing organized and relevant information about the state of your finances and the burden created by the emergency. This is your time to make the best case possible for yourself. Your representative will work with you to see what can be done to support your needs.

These are a few general ideas for staying ahead of your finances during college. If you need more specific support from our team, please schedule an appointment, and we will work with you. Don’t let the hefty cost of college deter you from acquiring the quality education that you deserve!