Schools use the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) in conjunction with their COA (Cost of Attendance) to determine what type of financial aid you may be eligible to receive.

If you haven’t already done so, you should complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid – www.fafsa.ed.gov) so that your EFC can be determined.

If you end up having an EFC of 4110 or lower, then you would be eligible for the most federal aid (Pell Grant, ACG/SMART (http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/NewPrograms.jsp), Stafford Loan, Perkins loan).

You won’t really be able to get reliable information until you have talked with a financial aid officer at your school once you have had your FAFSA information sent to them.

Good luck!

Here are the steps you need to take:

1) Fill out the FAFSA. This will determine if you are eligible for financial aid. Go here:

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

2) Once you are eligible for aid, choose a government-based student loan. The best loan to get is a Federal Perkins Loan. These have low interest rates and the government will help you pay it back as long as you stay enrolled in school. You also don’t need a cosigner or good credit for it. For more info go here:

http://www.studentfinancedomain.com/student_loans/perkins_student_loans.aspx

3) The next best loan to get is a Subsidized Stafford Loan. This has many of the same benefits as a Perkins Loan. Learn more here:

http://www.studentfinancedomain.com/student_loans/subsidized_stafford_loan.aspx

4) You can also try to get a grant or scholarship, which is free money that you won’t have to pay back. Look here:

FedMoney.org Home

http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp

http://www.freegovmoney.net/

http://www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/paying_article.asp?sponsor=2859&articleName=Grants_and_Scholarships

http://www.studentawards.com/

http://www.college-scholarships.com/

Good luck!

There is no way anyone can tell you how much financial aid you receive until you actually apply and receive the information from the school. While income certainly figures into you financial aid eligibility, other factors including family size, number in family attending school, assets, etc. also determine your eligibility. Complete the application on line at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov and have the results sent to the school(s) you are interested in attending. Let the aid office determine your eligibility for federal, state and institutional aid. Then you can make the determination if it’s enough to help pay your educational costs. And, make sure you apply early. Many types of aid are limited in their funding. If you apply late the funds might all be awarded by the time your application is considered.

There are many scholarships given out by government and other organisations every year. You can try for some online government scholarships or grants. Fill up online forms and see if you are selected for the scholarship.

To know more you can visit

http://www.scholarshipgrants.blogspot.com