With the average cost of a four year college charging over $26,000 per year for tuition, more and more students are looking for school grants to help them pay for college. Fortunately there is plenty of financial aid grant money available. In 2009, more than $125 billion in college grants and scholarships were given to undergraduate college students.

The process of getting grant money is fairly simple if you get organized and apply.

What is the Difference between a School Grant and Scholarship?

This is the most common question we get asked. A school grant is awarded to those who demonstrate financial need, while a scholarship is merit based.

Can I get both a School Grant and Scholarship?

Yes, you can. In fact it’s fairly easy to get both and they do usually do not interfere with each other. The most common form of grant money comes from the Federal Government and you apply for it by filing a FAFSA form. There are also state grants that vary by state and individual university; and lastly there are private grants.

Scholarships fall into four categories -

Common Federal Grants

With over $63 billion given out each year in school grants, you should know all the money available to you. There are need based grants and loan based grants:

Need-based school grants:

Pell Grants

Subsidized Stafford Loans

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants

Federal Work Study Programs

Perkins Loans

Loan based options:

Direct PLUS Loans

Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

Loans for Parents

Private Student Loans

The best place to start with getting your school grant is by filing out a FAFSA application (Federal Application for Federal Student Aid). Most colleges accept the application and it allows you to apply for more than one grant source at the same time.

The student government website is a great place to look for scholarships sponsored by various federal agencies.

With so many BILLIONS of financial aid money available to you, it is just a matter of finding the easiest money you have access to. This usually starts with the FAFSA and looking for scholarships.