College Grants

Government agencies and private foundations are required by law to distribute over 1 trillion dollars to groups and individuals like you and these funds can be used for college grants. They give away this money for 2 main reasons: First, Elected officials who want to stay in office, give away billions in government cash so people will continue to vote for them. The second reason is because big corporations have figured out ways to save a lot of money in taxes by giving away money as foundations. As long as it is good for their bottom line, the funds will keep flowing during good times or bad. Some college grants come from the colleges themselves, and they are handed out when federal and state aid isn't enough or when the school is trying to discount its sticker price enough to attract a desirable candidate which is often the academically elite or athletes. Sometimes, colleges will substitute grants for loans to sweeten the deal for an extremely sought after student. Typically, you don't apply for these grants. But students can increase their chances for getting an attractive financial aid package by targeting schools that are likely to want them, rather than fighting

to be admitted to a school that has plenty of other choices to choose from. You can improve your chances of getting one of these loans by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which is available at high schools and college financial aid offices, at any number of places on the Internet or by calling the U.S. Department of Education at 1(800) 433-3243. The earliest you can submit your form for the next school year is Jan. 1. And it's smart to file as soon as possible, since many colleges' student aid deadlines are in early to mid-February, and their reserves of grant money may have substantially decreased by the time they actually stop accepting applications.