• We Guide You Through The Process Of Paying For College

    CollegeWhale teaches you how to find free money for college, what student loans you should start with, and how to minimize mistakes that could cause unnecessary debt.

    help paying for school logo
  • We Make Finding College Scholarships Easy

    Find tons of scholarships you may qualify for by using CollegeWhale's Easiest Scholarship Search EVER.

    Sign up for our Weekly Scholarship Round-Up, for a list of new college scholarships delivered to your inbox each week.

    finding college scholarships logo
  • Answers For All Of Your Financial Aid Questions

    Get started with our most popular online College Financial Aid Resources:

    89 Awesome College Financial Aid Tips

    FAFSA: It’s Really Not That Difficult

    free financial aid help logo

Find Scholarships And Financial Aid For College.

CollegeWhale.com is your #1 source for help with college financial aid, think of us as College Financial Aid 101, just like any other college course... except we don’t give out homework or start at 8am. Since 2006, CollegeWhale.com has been helping college students, and parents of college students find scholarships and learn about financial aid for college. As an informative organization we are dedicated to providing current information on scholarships, grants, federal student loans, private student loans, and student loan consolidation. CollegeWhale.com is here to provide you with the information you need to make the choices that are best for you.

How To Pay For College: A Step-By-Step Guide.

Applying for college is hard enough, that the last thing most want to think about is how to pay for college. Figuring out college financial aid can be overwhelming, but with college costs on the rise, the reality is most students will need some kind of financial aid to help cover college costs. CollegeWhale.com has set out to simplify the college financial aid process by providing you with a basic outline of how you should began your college financial aid journey.

  • 1

    Scholarships and Grants
  • 2

    Federal Financial Aid
  • 3

    State Financial Aid
  • 4

    Private Student Loans
1. Campus-Based Scholarships And Grants.

Campus-based scholarships and grants are provided by the individual college, school or university. Campus-based scholarships and grants provide the student with money for college that does not need to be repaid. Typically, you are automatically eligible for need-based and merit-based scholarships and grants from the individual school upon submission of your college application, however some schools may require additional forms.

2. Private Scholarships And Grants.

Private scholarships and grants also provide the student with money for college that will not need to be repaid. Privately funded scholarships and grants can come from various businesses, corporations, organizations, and clubs. Each private scholarship and/or grant will have it’s own eligibility requirements and application deadlines.

3. Federal And State Financial Aid.

FAFSA (Free Application For Federal Student Aid) is your gateway to all federal financial aid available for college. You must complete and file a FAFSA to be eligible for federal financial aid for college. Federal financial aid for college is need-based and includes the following types of aid: Grants, Work-Study, and Federal Student Loans. Grants provide money for college that will not need to be repaid, work-study provides part-time employment to help students earn money while enrolled in school, and federal loans provide money for college that will need to be repaid with interest. The only way for a student to receive any of the forms of federal financial aid listed above is to complete a FAFSA.

State financial aid for college is similar to federal financial aid, but on a local level. In most states you are eligible for state financial aid automatically when you submit your FAFSA, however some states require additional forms, so it is important to check the requirements of your own state.

4. Private Student Loans.

Private student loans for college are provided by banks and other lending instructions, and are credit-based loans. Unlike federal financial aid, private student loans are not need based. Experts suggest exhausting all other college financial aid options before applying for private student loans.

New From CollegeWhale.

Check out all of the awesome college financial aid information we have available on CollegeWhale. Our financial aid experts provide answers to many of the most common financial aid questions, provide tips to make paying for college easy, and highlight new college scholarship opportunities.

American Academy of Chefs Scholarships

Name: The American Academy of Chefs Scholarships Award Amount: Varies Information And…

Scholarships

How To Get In State College Tuition

Q: I really would like to attend a university that is out…

Student Loans

Student Loans For Cosmetology School

Q: Can someone get student loans for cosmetology school, and if so,…

Student Loans

When Do I Get My FAFSA Money

Q: This will be the first year I am receiving FAFSA money…

Federal Student Loans

Atlanta Dental Spa Scholarship

Name: The Atlanta Dental Spa Scholarship Program Award Amount: $1,000 Information And…

Scholarships

Doing Good Scholarship Program

Name: The Doing Good Scholarship Program Award Amount: $25000, $10000, and $5000…

Scholarships

College Scholarship Myths Debunked

Applying for college scholarships should be one of the first steps in…

Loan Alternatives

The CSS/PROFILE Financial Aid Application

Q: What is the The CSS/PROFILE Financial Aid Application, and how can…

Student Loans

Study Abroad Scholarships

Every year thousands of college students have hopes of studying abroad. Studying…

Scholarships

Siemens Scholarship Competition

Name: The Siemens Scholarship Competition Award Amount: $1000-$100000 Information And Eligibility: The…

Scholarships

Guaranteed Credit Card Approval For Bad Credit

Q: If I have been unable to secure a private student loan…

Loan Alternatives

The Nordstrom Scholarship Program

Name: The Nordstrom Scholarship Program Award Amount: $10000 Information And Eligibility: The…

Scholarships
Load More

Sign Up To Win Scholarships.

Sign up for CollegeWhale's Weekly Scholarship Round-Up, and let us bring the scholarships to you! Get a list of new available college scholarships delivered to your inbox each week. Subscribers will only receive one email per week, detailing the new available college scholarships. You will never be spammed, and your information will never be shared.

sign up