Finding Financial Aid

How do you cover trade school tuition?

Help that you need to pay for school Let's face it; going to school is really expensive. And it's even more so when you have extra costs, like books and transportation. Many students rely on financial aid, and obtaining it can be tough, especially if you don't meet a lot of the requirements for scholarships or loans. Instead of relying on the bank, you can utilize some of these tips to get money and get school paid for so that you can start to learn. Start by: • Going to different websites, government-funded, to find scholarships, bursaries, fellowships and grants that you can get to fund your education. A good place to start is FinAid (http://www.finaid.org/), a site that lists all sorts of financial aid options for students. You can find many scholarships, including merit scholarships, athletic scholarships, minority/ethnic scholarships, and more. You may be required to volunteer or to write an essay. Scholarship conditions will vary. Make sure to do your research and get the applications in on time! • Checking your chosen school for entrance scholarships or other bursaries that you can obtain. Many will have financial aid that you can get – lots of people donate to colleges for the explicit reason of helping needy students. • Seeing if your school has a payment plan. Often, you won't be required to pay all the tuition right upfront. If your school allows you to pay it monthly, see how much your payments will be and incorporate that into your school budget. • Where you can, buy things second-hand. Books and course packs can often be purchased from students in upper years, looking for money. You can also buy them second-hand from your college bookstore. • As a last resort, you can go to the bank and talk to them about financial aid geared towards students. Often, these have lower interest rates or special conditions that will help you pay back the loan or stay within your credit lines. However, trying for a scholarship is a better idea, because this is money that you don't have to pay back. Financial aid is readily available for those that are willing to work for it. If you don't have a lot of money to go to school, following some of these tips may just allow you to focus on school and not worry about money.

School is expensive. Career school tuition alone can cost anywhere from $1500-$10,000 a year, depending on where you go to school or whether you do it online. Then, there are books, which can cost an extra $500-$1000. Add that to finding a place to live (if you're not going to a school in your area) and transportation, and it can add up. Most people don't have all the money needed to go to school, and it can seem like a big job to try to work and get an education at the same time. Luckily, there are options. You can:

• Save up a lot of money before you go to school and then budget carefully. A lot of people will take a year off of school and work, or create a savings account just for school. If this is feasible, you can graduate school with no debt. Also, you can work a part-time job through school, if you feel you can handle it, to deal with expenses.

• Look into grants or scholarships. Many times, you can get government grants or student loans by writing an essay or fitting into the requirements. If you're in a minority or you're a woman, you're eligible for a lot of different bursaries and grants that can help you get through school. Also, certain programs may have certain scholarships that you can apply for.

• You can consider taking out a line of credit or a student loan. Lines of credit are loans that the bank or another financial institution gives you for a specific use – in this case, school. You are either given a credit card or given access to the credit (like an overdraft on your bank account) and you can use as much or as little as you want, up to the limit. You will be charged interest through the loan, and then you'll pay it off afterwards. Student loans work slightly differently – you're given the money all at once and then charged interest after you leave school.

• See a financial counselor at your school to discuss your options.

School doesn't have to be unattainable. With help and planning, you can get through school with as little financial strife as possible.