How to avoid fees while applying for grants

Finding money for college can often be a time consuming process, but it should never cost you any money to apply for college grants. There are 4 main types of financial aid available for college. The first type is scholarships which are generally given to a student by a particular school for excellence in academics, music, or for athletics. The second type is federal loans which are low interest loans given to a student by the federal government. The third type is private loans which should be a last resort as they generally carry higher disbursement fees and interest rates. The final kind of student financial aid comes in the form of grants which this article focuses on. Grants are like scholarships in that they never need to be repaid but are like federal loans in that they can be given merely based on financial need.

There are two main kinds of grants: need based grants and merit based grants. Merit based grants are often given for excellence in a certain area of one's life whether it be academics, sports, music, acting, writing, even group memberships. These merit based grants aren't scholarships technically because they can come from almost anywhere from a corporation giving away grant money as a prize to high schools awarding grants to a talented school band member. Often merit based grants come with a list of requirements that need to be met in order to be considered for the grant. This may include a certain GPA, certain awards in your area of excellence, recommendations, and even being part of a certain religion, culture, or town depending on who is giving out the grants.

Need based grants are given based on financial need alone; you don't need to have a special talent or meet certain requirements other then proof that you need the money to attend to school. These kinds of grants generally come from the school itself or the federal government, with the most common federal grant being the Pell Grant.

Whichever kind of grant you are looking for, there is no reason to pay money to 'find' these grants as there are a wealth of free sites on the internet dedicated to helping students find money for college. Simply searching on a site like Google for college grants and free college aid websites will lead you to a site. There is also no reason to pay fees to apply for the grant, save paying for applications for the actual college entrance applications. The federal grants will never have a fee to apply and most grants that are merit based only require a student to fill out a short application to be in the running for a grant. The same can be said about most need based grants too, as the first step in any student's search for financial aid should be filling out and submitting a FAFSA form free online from the federal government. This form is used to help determine your eligibility and need based aid status; schools use it to award need based grants, private loan companies use it to ensure you are eligible, and the government uses it to determine if you'll get federal grants and federal loans.

So your first step should be filling out the FAFSA form online because without it you'll often miss out on need based grants and loans. Keep in mind of course that grants are like scholarships in that they never need to be repaid which makes them essentially free money for college. Any sites that charge fees to find you potential grants (whether merit based or need based), or sponsored grants that charge you an application fee to even be considered for a grant are not worth the time. Many turn out to be scams, have absurd requirements, or have so many applicants applying that you may never have a chance. Also keep in mind that there are literally tens of thousands of grants out there ranging from sponsored grants from companies to writing contests, group membership awards, money for your talent or skills, academic excellence awards, book money, drawings, and more. You could be eligible for a grant just based on being you, but never pay to find or apply for them and don't forget to fill out your FAFSA first.