Posts Tagged ‘paying for college’

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Scholarship Myths Debunked

July 30th, 2012 by kristen
Categories: Scholarships and Financial Aid

Most high school and college students recognize that a scholarship is a way to pay for school. But did you know that you can apply for scholarships whether you’re a high school senior or a college junior? If you’re interested in receiving money toward your education, check out these scholarship myths debunked. You may just be inspired to apply for a few!

Scholarships Have to Be Paid Back Like Loans

The best thing about scholarships is that you don’t have to pay the money back! Unlike financial aid, this money is a gift. It’s free money. All you have to do is apply!

Scholarships Are Only Available For Freshmen

You might think that the end of high school is the time to apply for scholarships, and if you didn’t get one, you missed your chance. While scholarships aren’t discussed as often after high school, the truth is, you can get them at any time, even as a college student!

Scholarships Are Only For People Who Need Them

While there are numerous scholarships based on need, not all of them are. After all, there can be a variety of situations in which students who don’t qualify for financial aid but still need money for college. Scholarships are open to everyone with all different financial backgrounds.

Scholarships Are Only For Really Smart People

There are indeed many scholarships that are highly competitive and awarded based on high grade point averages and major accomplishments. But there are also scholarships available for students who do decently in school, and have done a fair share of interesting things, but wouldn’t call themselves the best. You don’t have to be the greatest at any particular field in order to receive a scholarship.

Scholarships Take Up Tons of Time

While there are scholarships that will require you to write page after page of essays over a series of weeks, not all scholarships are this complicated! There are some you can complete in a single afternoon. That’s not bad, considering it’s free money. If you use Cappex to search for scholarships, you’ll be given an estimate on how long they will take to complete!

Good Scholarships Are Hard to Find

During the days before the internet, if anyone can remember those days, perhaps scholarships weren’t so easy to find. Back then, students might have had to go to their guidance office or career center where they would pick up packets of information, half of which wasn’t applicable to them. Today, searching for scholarships is a simple task that can be done in a matter of minutes. Finding scholarships for which you’re eligible are only a few clicks away.

Scholarships Are Hard to Get

Some of the best scholarships are incredibly difficult to land, but many of them aren’t! Local scholarships for example will have fewer applicants than national scholarships, which will increase your chances! You can find out how steep the competition is when you use Cappex to find scholarships.

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Scholarships for LGBT Students and LGBT Allies

June 28th, 2012 by acerny
Categories: Scholarships and Financial Aid

An increasing number of institutions of higher education are providing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) students with access to mentoring,  leadership development, and career services in an effort to support a diverse body of students.

The college resources available to LGBT students also include a growing abundance of scholarships, fellowships, and grants. The number of scholarships exclusively devoted to LGBT students has been on the rise throughout the past several years. Many national, regional, and local organizations have awarded outstanding students who identity as LGBT and LGBT allies who have been active advocates in promoting equal rights and acceptance of the LGBT community.  If you are an LGBT student or ally, consider applying to the following big money scholarship opportunities we have compiled, which are just a few of many. Don’t forget to also check with your local community organizations, college financial aid offices, counselors, and advisors to enhance your scholarship search.

Out to Protect Scholarship
Award: $1,000
This scholarship is for individuals who identify as LGBT or straight ally. To qualify, you must be pursuing a career in law enforcement.

William R. Johnson Scholarship
Award: $2,500
This scholarship is for LGBT students who are members of a United Church of Christ congregation and pursuing a course of study leading to ordained ministry.

Chely Wright LIKE ME Scholarship
Award: $1,250
This scholarship is for graduating high school seniors who can show that they have actively advocated for LGBT issues.

Point Foundation Scholarship Program
Award: $10,000
This scholarship is open to college students who are involved in the LGBTQ community.  To qualify, you must demonstrate a strong academic performance, proven leadership skills, and a desire to make a difference in the world.

PFLAG National Scholarship
Award: $1,000 – $5,000
This scholarship is for LGBT or straight ally students who are entering their first year of college.

Kay Longcope Scholarship Award
Award: $3,000
This scholarship is is for LGBT individuals of color who are planning to pursue a career in journalism. To qualify, you must demonstrate an awareness of the issues facing the LGBT community and the importance of fair and accurate news coverage.

Jeremy D. Protas LGBT Patent Law Scholarship
Award: $1,000
This scholarship is for LBGT law students who are pursuing a career in intellectual property law. To apply, you must explain why you wish to pursue a career in patent law and how your background and/or life experience would improve diversity in the field of intellectual property law.

LEAGUE Foundation Scholarship
Award: $1,000 – $5,000
This scholarship is for graduating high school seniors who self-identify as GLBT. To apply, you must complete two personal essays, two letters of recommendation, and a detailed list of community involvement.

Queer Foundation Scholarship
Award: $1,000
This scholarship is open to LGBT high school seniors and friends of people who are LGBT.

 

Find scholarships like these and tons more on Cappex!

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How to Pay for College When There’s No Money in Sight!

June 16th, 2012 by kristen
Categories: Scholarships and Financial Aid

While financial aid is great, there are times when it’s still not enough. Other students may be struggling because their families don’t qualify for financial aid, nor will they pay for them to attend college. In today’s society, attending college is necessary for a great number of jobs, but how can you get there if there truly seems to be no money in sight? If you’re struggling with ways to afford getting your degree, check out these tips on how to pay for college!

Scholarships: If you haven’t checked out the scholarship scene yet, here’s the perfect reason to look into it. Scholarships, with a little application and essay work, can grant you money you can use for college that you don’t have to pay back. Scholarship amounts run anywhere from a hundred dollars, to having your entire undergraduate education paid! You can find scholarship information at Cappex!

Private Loans: Federal loans are nice because they’re flexible and have low interest rates, but they’re not the only type of loans out there. If you’re unable to get financial aid, or if financial aid isn’t going to be enough to cover your costs, you may want to consider taking out a private student loan through a bank. Talk to several banks and note the loans offered and their interest rates. While the payment plans may not be as interchangeable and the interest rate might be a little higher, it’s still money for school.

Payment Plans: Many institutions offer tuition payment plans. If you don’t have the money right away to pay for school, but can pay in installments, this may be a good option for you. You’ll have more time to come up with the money.

Find College Jobs that Really Pay: There are some fantastic jobs on campus that can allow you to get some great benefits that will save some serious money. Resident Assistants for example often get to live on campus for free as payment for their duties. Look into what your campus offers!

Find a Job Off-Campus: While the thought of having a part-time job in addition to going to school full-time (or even part-time) may seem like a nightmare, there are plenty of students who do it, often to reduce their overall amount of debt. While it may not be pretty, you may be able to find a job that pays decently and is willing to schedule you around your classes. Serving food at a restaurant, for example, can pay quite a bit if you’re working on the right nights!

Take a Semester Off: While this is a last resort, some students choose to take a semester, or even a year off so they can work full-time and save money to finish their degree. If it comes to that, there are still positives to the situation! Having a break in the real world will allow you to better see where your degree will fit in society. You may even alter what you’d like to do with it! When you re-enroll, you’ll be smarter because of your time away.

Want to search for scholarships or find your perfect college match? Make your profile today on Cappex!

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Five Small Ways to Save for College in High School

April 12th, 2012 by kristen
Categories: High School Tips

You may think that as a high school student there isn’t a whole lot you can do to pay for your college education, but, you might be surprised how a little can go a long way.

For those of you who won’t qualify for financial aid but are still responsible for generating the funds, or for those of you who want to decrease your loan amount by contributing what you can, here is a list of small ways to save that can help you big while you’re still in high school.

$20/Week: While you’re probably only making a few hundred dollars a month with a part time job, if you can afford to place $20.00 from every weekly paycheck into a savings account your junior and senior years of high school, that’s over $2,000 by the time you enter college. That’s equivalent to one-third of the average tuition for one year at state school.

Save Those Birthday Cards: Instead of blowing the $50 you received from grandma on your birthday on new clothes or movie tickets, start a saving account while you’re still in high school for any money you receive between now and college. Between birthdays, Christmases, family traditions, holidays, and your graduation, you could find yourself with another $1,000 to put toward college. That could pay for one year of textbooks and school supplies.

Talk to Your Bank: While having a savings account is great, you may not have the best savings account for your specific needs. Talk to your bank about the best account to save for college, as some accounts may have higher interest rates, which will provide you with a little extra money in the long run. You may also want to inquire about CDs- Certificates of Deposit. A CD allows you to deposit money at a bank as you would an account; however you will be unable to access that money for a given amount of time, whether that be six months or several years. When that time is up, you’ll receive your money back in addition to the interest accumulated on it. As a minor, you will likely have to have your parents set up the CD with the bank.

Roll Your Pennies: It may sound completely ridiculous and childish, but saving spare change in a jug over years at a time has been proven to add up quickly. According to a Banking My Way article published in 2009, a family was able to save $7,000 in change over five years. That could be a whole year’s worth of tuition! While you may not be able to hit that number, others report having saved around $400 a year with this method.

Senior Sale: Before going off to college, you may want to do some serious springcleaning. Perhaps you don’t actually want to, but your parents aren’t giving you a choice. Instead of tossing everything away, include yourself in a neighborhood yard sale, or sell your old things on sites such as Craigslist or eBay. A little extra cash can pay for honor society fees, club t-shirts, and other little college expenses you may not have foreseen.

Want to save more money for college? Make a personalized profile on Cappex today to be matched with scholarships!

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6 Colleges That Are Cutting Tuition for Students in 2012-2013

February 14th, 2012 by editor
Categories: College Facts

At most places, college costs and tuition are increasing, making higher education less and less affordable for students and their families. But before you throw in the towel–seriously! Don’t stop reading quite yet–there are some private institutions that are coming down on tuition to help meet their students’ needs. Just as college-bound students are struggling to pay for college, colleges are struggling to get students to apply with such high price tags attached to their names. To get more applicants, colleges are attempting new programs to specifically appeal to you!

According to SmartMoney, there are at least six colleges that have announced that they plan to reduce tuition for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year. These schools hope that by lowering their tuition, they will attract students from middle-income families whose income keeps them from qualifying for federal financial aid, but is also not enough to pay for college without going into dangerous debt.

Here are six private colleges that are slashing prices in a big way for the upcoming school year:

Cabrini College
Tuition cut: 12.5%
Lower tuition and fees in 2012-13: $29,000
Tuition and fees in 2011-2012: $33,176
Quick fact:  Cabrini College was one of the first American colleges  to make community service a graduation requirement for all undergraduates, which is a central focus in their curriculum.

Lincoln College
Tuition cut: 24%
Lower tuition and fees in 2012-13: $17,480
Tuition and fees in 2011-2012:$23,000
Quick fact:  Lincoln University was the first institution named for Abraham Lincoln and the only one during his lifetime. It is one of few private two-year residential colleges in the U.S. Most students at Lincoln College receive the Associate of Arts Degree and then transfer to a four year college.

University of Charleston
Tuition cut: 22%
Lower tuition and fees in 2012-13: $20,700
Tuition and fees in 2011-2012: $26,200
Quick fact: 25% of students who start at UC and stay through graduation get their degrees in less than four years, and an additional 10% proceed to graduate school before receiving an undergraduate degree.

William Peace University
Tuition cut: 7.7%
Lower tuition and fees in 2012-13: $23,900
Tuition and fees in 2011-2012: $25,900
Quick fact: William Peace University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. In North Carolina, it is only predated by Salem College, which was founded in 1772.

Duquesne University
Tuition cut: For freshman who enroll in the School of Education, they will receive a grant for 50% of their tuition.
Lower tuition and fees in 2012-13 (for education students): $14,355
Tuition and fees in 2011-2012 (for education students): $28,671
Quick fact:  A Catholic university, Duquesne is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. The university’s living alumni includes two cardinals and the current bishop of Pittsburgh.

Seton Hall University
Tuition cut: approximately $21,000 for incoming high-achieving freshmen
Lower tuition and fees in 2012-13: $10,104
Tuition and fees in 2011-2012:  Around $31,000
Quick fact: Seton Hall’s Stillman School of Business is repeatedly ranked as one of the top undergraduate business schools in the nation according to BusinessWeek.

Do these price slashes appeal to you or change your mind on colleges? Leave a comment in the section below!

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Want Financial Aid? 5 Things You Need to Know About the FAFSA

January 9th, 2012 by editor
Categories: Uncategorized

There’s nothing more daunting or confusing in the college application process than figuring out how you’re going pay for it all. Plus, the whole financial aid thingy isn’t just a pile of cash you find under your bed to help you pay for college–even though that’d be pretty awesome.

Getting financial aid involves an entire process. But even though it can be tedious and sometimes it’s more fun to complain about things like this than actually doing them, it’s not the worse thing in the world. In fact, spending a few hours doing annoying work, in this case, is worth it in the end.

So what’s at the core of this laborious process? The FAFSA! If you’re a high school senior and you haven’t heard of the FAFSA, get acquainted quickly because you’re going to need it in order to apply for almost any financial aid. Now remember, you probably don’t need the FAFSA to apply for private scholarships, like the ones you’ll find on Cappex, but you will need it for a mountain of other types of aid.

So here are 5 things you need to know about the FAFSA:

1. You probably most definitely will want to fill out the FAFSA.
You might not realize it at the moment, but so many places including schools and states depend on the FAFSA in order to grant you need-based aid. Some scholarship providers might even ask for it.

2. If you haven’t completed the FAFSA yet, DO IT NOW!
If you’re a senior applying to colleges…get your FAFSA completed! You can do it online here. It became available January 1, and some schools and states have deadlines as early as February 15. So get yours completed!

3. You’ll probably most definitely need help completing it.
Much of the FAFSA is about understanding your income and assets, and your parents’ income and assets to determine your Expected Family Contribution—the annual amount that the government expects you and your parents to be able to pay toward your college education. If your college costs (Cost of Attendance, or COA) exceed your calculated EFC, you’ll be eligible for need-based loans and/or grants to help pay your college bills. It’s really just a simple math problem, but getting all the details involving income, taxes, and assets can be confusing. So take time to go over everything with the people (usually your parents) who can help you.

4. Not sure you’d qualify for need-base aid? Fill it out anyways!
You should file the FAFSA even if you don’t think you’ll qualify for need-based aid. If you want to take out a federal loan of any type—including the unsubsidized Stafford Loan, which isn’t based on financial need—then you’ll need to file the FAFSA. Some scholarship providers even like to see the FAFSA.

5. Be organized.
You’ll need to reference a heap of documents including your social security number, tax forms or your parents’ tax forms, bank statements, and information on any businesses you or your family own, mortgage information, blah blah blah blah blah….you get the picture. Locate all important documents before you start completing the FAFSA.

Want more help? Here’s our worksheet FAFSA: Why You Need It, How to Start to help you get the money you need to pay for college.

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President Obama Meets with College Leaders Over Tuition Affordability

December 8th, 2011 by editor
Categories: Student News

Don’t worry bros, President Obama has got your backs. Just like you, Mr. President is totally bewildered by college costs and wants to figure out a way to make tuition more affordable for normal people.

To help get to the bottom of this predicament, or at least crack the surface, the president met privately with university presidents and chancellors at the White House this Monday. Wouldn’t you be super pumped if the president just invited you over to talk IN THE WHITE HOUSE?

So, the meeting occurred, and according the The Chronicle of Higher Education, the point of the gathering was to figure out ways to bring down “overall campus costs” across the United States. What a lovely idea!

According to Inside Higher Ed, the people present at the meeting were…

3 state university systems: Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York; Francisco Cigarroa, chancellor of the University of Texas System; and William E. (Brit) Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland.

3 from public universities:  Holden Thorp, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Freeman Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland at Baltimore County; and F. King Alexander, president of California State University at Long Beach.

1 from a community college: Thomas Snyder, president of Ivy Tech Community College, the Indiana community college system.

3 private nonprofit college presidents: Jared L. Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University; Larry Shinn, president of the famously tuition-free Berea College; and Robert Mendenhall, president of Western Governors University, whose model of fully online, competency-based education has been embraced by numerous states in recent months..

The meeting was said to be very open and engaging. Different parties brought up various desires such as one to see more minority students pursue science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, to which, I can only imagine President Obama responded, “Then let’s BRING DOWN THE COST.”

Here here!

What would you have said at the meeting if you were present? Do you have a solution to college costs?

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5 Cappex Scholarships to Apply for Before January 1st!!!!

December 7th, 2011 by editor
Categories: Scholarships and Financial Aid, Student News

For high schoolers or college co-eds, time is generally clocked by school years. After all, that’s the measurement that dictates your summers and your long school days and basically how you spend every waking hour of your childhood to early adulthood.

So we might have to remind you that the actual calendar year of 2011 is coming to a close. We are approaching 2012, and if the Mayan prophecies are wrong, you may just be able to reap the benefits of these 5 scholarships with deadlines of December 31.

For the most part, these are simple scholarships to apply for, and the deadline is approaching. So apply to them today!

1. High School Innovator of the Year

How much: $5,000

What for: We’re looking for outstanding innovations and the students responsible for them. Have you invented something noteworthy or improved a process that affects your fellow students, city, or town during your high school career? Tell us about it and become eligible for this scholarship.

Why it’s awesome: This is a great opportunity to share with us something that you’re incredibly proud of, and something that you worked your butt off for. Get rewarded for your creativity.

2. Lead With Your Heart Scholarship 

How much: $5,000

What for: This scholarship is for students who have dedicated their high school careers to working for the greater good. This award is about selfless service that has made a big impact on your school, city, town or beyond. Tell us about it and become eligible for this scholarship.

Why it’s awesome: Get rewarded for being a good person. We know you didn’t do your piece of goodness so you could get paid in dollah billz, but now that you’ve already done that altruistic action, here’s some karma coming your way.

3. The Butterfly Effect Scholarship

How much: $2,500

What for: For the best explanation, watch this

[youtube width="450" height="259"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM37lhi4E3I[/youtube]

Why it’s awesome: This a truly unique scholarship that you can win simply by taking the first steps toward your big college future and inspiring your friends to do it along with you.

4. I Don’t Want to Pay for College Scholarship

How much: $1,000

What for: Cappex wants to give students a break. Tuition is crazzzzy expensive. Who does actually want to pay for college?

Why it’s awesome: This scholarship is super chill because all you need to do is apply, have some good grades, and hopefully some leadership and activities.

5. Cappex Promoter Scholarship

How much: $1,000

What for: For telling your friends who need help with their college search about Cappex.

Why it’s awesome: Some folks will tell you that there’s no such thing as a “free lunch.” But some things come pretty close.

Will you be applying? Hurry! The deadline for these babies is December 31.

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Friday College Town Hall

October 28th, 2011 by editor
Categories: College Facts, Student News

In Friday College Town Hall, we post a question about college, and you leave an answer in the comment field.

Today’s question:

Total outstanding student debt has passed $1 trillion, more than the nation’s credit card debt.

Do you think students are fully aware of the scale of debt they’ll accrue paying for college before they’re already standing knee deep in it?

Have a thought or an answer? Leave a reply below.

We’ve also asked our @Cappex Twitter followers to chime in! Here’s what people are saying on Twitter:

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11 Most Economically Diverse Colleges

October 27th, 2011 by editor
Categories: Student News

As college tuition becomes a steeper mountain to climb every year, it’s nice to see that some schools value economic diversity. After all, there has to be some place the rest of the 99% can enroll in a higher education.

The US News and World Report created this list of the most economically diverse student bodies by researching the percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants for low-income students. Pell Grants are generally given to undergrads who come from families with incomes under $20,000.

So, it’s not the perfect measure, because, who knows, there may be some schools out there admitting thousands of kids just above the Pell Grant line, but it’s still a pretty good barometer to see how many low-income students are on a given campus.

So here are 11 universities who have made a big commitment to economic diversity:

1. New Mexico State University
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 87%
Quick fact: NMSU is the only research-extensive, land-grant, USA-Mexico border institution classified as Hispanic serving by the federal government.

2. Jackson State University
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 81%
Quick fact: A member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, JSU holds an important place in the history of US civil rights.

3. South Carolina State University
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 80%
Quick fact: Quick fact: It is the only state funded, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina and is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.

4. Texas Southern University
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 78%
Quick fact: As a result,  of Heman Marion Sweatt, an African American man, who applied to the University of Texas School of Law but was denied admission because of race,the state founded Texas Southern University under Senate Bill 140 by the Fiftieth Texas Legislature on March 3, 1947 as a state university to be located in Houston and to serve African Americans in Texas.

5. Kent State University 
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 77%
Quick fact: During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the university was known internationally for its student activism in opposition to US involvement in the Vietnam war, due mainly to the events of May 4, 1970 where Ohio Army National Guard unit fired at students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four and wounding nine.

6. Texas A&M University
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 73%
Quick fact: The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M’s enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school history.

7. Florida Institute of Technology
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 69%
Quick fact: Florida Tech’s curriculum is largely focused on engineering and science fields.

8. Tennessee State University
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 66%
Quick fact: TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.

9. Our Lady of the Lake University
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 61%
Quick fact: OLLU was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence, a religious order originating in Lorraine, France, during the 18th century.

10. University of Texas – El Paso
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 60%
Quick fact: UTEP is the largest university in the U.S. with a majority Mexican-American student population (about 75%).

11. North Carolina A&T State University
Percent of undergraduates receiving Pell grants: 56%
Quick fact:North Carolina A&T athletic teams are referred to as the “Aggies,” which is a diminutive name for “Agriculture” which is the “A” in A&T.

How are you paying for school? Leave a comment or question below.

 

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