How to Go Back to School When You Need Money
- 1). Go to the Department of Education's FAFSA website home page and click "Fill out your FAFSA." Select the school year for which you want financial aid. Check the FAFSA priority deadline for the school which you want to attend and complete the online FAFSA application by this deadline. Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by the deadline typically ensures that college financial administrators consider you for the Federal Pell Grant, the Academic Competitiveness Grant, the National SMART Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and other need-based and state-funded grants.
- 2). Wait for your college's financial aid department to send you a financial aid award letter and look at the different grants, loans and financial aid programs offered. Accept all federal, state and university-funded grants and any work-study awards you're offered by the school. Borrow only a minimum amount of the Federal Stafford Loan, if necessary, to cover remaining tuition costs since this is money that needs to be repaid following graduation.
- 3). Ask the financial aid or student services department of your college about university scholarships and how to apply. Complete any scholarship applications from your college by the deadline. Some colleges require you to fill out a general application to be considered for scholarships for which you might be eligible. Sign up at scholarship directory websites like SuperCollege.com and FastWeb. Look for and apply to scholarship opportunities based on criteria such as field of study or career goals.
- 4). Contact your college's career services department and ask for assistance finding a job. Apply for a job with an employer that offers a tuition-reimbursement program that can help you pay for college tuition while earning living expenses. Apply for an on-campus job which you can use with your work-study financial aid because these types of positions usually allow you to bring study materials to work and give you flexibility in work hours.
- 5). Join student clubs, organizations and other extracurricular activities while attending college. Ask the club's advisers or officers about scholarship or grant opportunities. Go to the organization's national parent website to find out how to apply for such scholarships and educational funding.
