College Financial Aid

As college costs have increased much faster than inflation, more and more students are actively seeking college financial aid to help pay their educational expenses. The good news is there are lots of sources for college financial aid – so be sure to do a lot of research before making your college financing decisions.

College financial aid comes through a number of different programs. For every student, any search for college financial aid should start with a search for scholarships and grants. Without question, scholarships and grants are the best kind of college financial aid as students do not have to pay this money back. There are a number of quality scholarship websites so be sure to spend time looking around for scholarships that fit your needs.

Beyond scholarships and grants, college financial aid can also be generated from work-study programs. When a student signs up for a work-study program, they have agreed to do work – typically on campus – for money that will help them pay their college expenses. Many colleges offer different work-study programs so contact your financial aid office to determine if there is a program that works for you.

If you need more college financial aid beyond scholarships, grants and work-study, there are many student loan options. Of all the loan programs that can be used for college financial aid, the federal Stafford loan program is the best option. The Stafford loan program does have loan limits, however, so many students need additional college financial aid beyond the Stafford loan.

If you need additional college financial aid after exhausting your Stafford loan eligibility, consider a private student loan. A Think Student Loan allows students to borrow up to the full cost of education up to a $250,000 lifetime aggregate maximum. You can apply online or over the phone in approximately 15 minutes and the check is sent directly to you or your cosigner¹. Plus, you can defer payments until after graduation.²

¹ This loan does not require school certification and the proceeds are disbursed in the form of a check co-payable to the borrower and cosigner (if applicable), mailed directly to the applicant with the stronger credit profile.

² Interest will continue to accrue while your payments are deferred, and it will be capitalized (added to your principal loan balance) when repayment begins.

^* Think Financial refers applications to Simple Tuition, a leading student loan comparison site, and is paid a fee for this referral.