Compare Financial Aid

Financial aid for students could have many forms. Student can receive help from the federal government, states, colleges, private institutions, charity organizations, study work programs, family and many more organizations.

The term financial aid is very broad and applies to all the money you can receive in order to pay for your education. What actually matters to students is not where the money comes from, but if the money has to be repaid or not and what kind of repayments are possible. This is how we view financial aid and this is how we are presenting it here.

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In our view financial aid has four categories. They range from free to fully not free financial aid. Read below about each category.

Name	Free	Somehow Free	Most Likely Has To Be Repaid **	Has To Be Repaid
Grants
Scholarships
Fellowships
Traineeships
Work Study Programs
Federal Loans
Private Loans
Peer Loans
Personal Loans
Federal Consolidation Loans
Private Consolidation Loans
Credit Cards
Company Sponsorships
Your Own Money

* Please note, nothing here in this table is set in stone and it will very case by case from lender to lender.
** Most Likely Has To Be Repaid means it has to be repaid, but chances are you can have the loan forgiven.

Follow the chart above and try to apply for all Financial Aid to the left of the table. Financial Aid to the right has tougher repayment options and is not free. When you apply for financial aid your order should start from the left of the table and you should walk to the right until you have all the funds you need.

We advise our financial aid candidates to use our tools below and see how much college is going to cost, how to plan or save for college, how to find financial aid, and calculate loan amounts.

Loan Calculator		Budget Planner		Save Money WIZARD		Financial Aid WIZARD		How Much For College

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