NEW PROGRAMS PROVIDE MONEY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

With the advent of the new school year, thousands of high school seniors are now starting to focus on researching, visiting and applying to their favorite colleges. At the same time, advises the U.S. Department of Education, it is essential that families and students also now begin the process of applying for financial aid.

The good news is that due to the robust economy and new initiatives, there is now more money available than ever before. Financial aid experts agree, however, that the sooner families begin their search for sources that can help them, the greater are their chances of receiving financial aid.

Currently there are over 400,000 independent and private scholarship and grant sources available to students some of which pay 100 percent of a student's tuition. More than 80 percent of these scholarships do not depend on family need or exceptional grades but are awarded based on factors such as a student's interests, hobbies, academic focus, age, heritage, religion or parent's work or military experience.

According the Wall Street Journal, students "can increase their chances of receiving financial aid simply by understanding how the process works." It is important for students who want to enter college in the fall of 2001 to start gathering information now to identify the sources that can help them.

The financial aid process can be somewhat confusing especially for those going through it for the first time. But students who learn the basics and the inside workings of the system are much more successful in securing scholarship and other financial aid to help pay for tuition, room and board, text books and other costs.

Now, through the resources at the National Academic Funding Advisory (NAFA), an updated publication for 2001-2002 is available to help students understand the financial aid process, show them the essential steps to success, in receiving scholarship aid, and identify sources that can help them receive funding.

For information on how to receive scholarship money for college, trade school or graduate school send $2 to cover handling to NAFA, 188 Summer Street, Scholarship Dept. E1, Portsmouth, N.H., 03801.