Happy Friday, scholarship seekers! It’s been a long week here, and I’m doing a little snoopy dance that the weekend if finally upon us! How has your week been? Have you made any progress on your college scholarship applications? As the weather turns colder we are heading into prime scholarship deadline season, so be sure to clear a few hours every week to work on your applications. After all, the best way to pay for college is with some free money, right?! This week, I have three great scholarship opportunities for you, including two essay competitions plus a $15,000 MVS (Most Valuable Student) competition from the Elks National Foundation. I hope you find something here than will help you to pay for college! To learn more about college scholarships, please visit the Financ...

Did you know that soldiers who are serving in active duty are charged interest on their student loans? Going to graduate school will free your student loan interest accrual, but serving in Iraq? No. A group of 15 senators is introducing a new bill to change this, providing immediate student loan debt relief to active-duty soldiers and members of the National Guard. According to a blog post from Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), the bill would prohibit interest from accruing on direct student loans, regardless of the date of origination, for all service members on active duty for up to 60 months. This would save the average service member between $1,183 and $1,479 over the course of a 12- to 15-month activation period. Between this and the delays with tuition benefits from the new GI Bill, I am...

Happy Friday, dear readers! Are you here for your weekly dose of great scholarship opportunities with upcoming deadlines? Then you’re in the right place! There is no more productive way to spend your weekend than applying for a handful of scholarships. I recently read that earning money for college through scholarships is a numbers game — the more you apply to, the better chance you have to win. Will you will all? No way! Half? Nope! But you may win 5 or even 10% of the scholarships you apply to, if you pick your applications strategically. Look for opportunities where you meet *all* of the qualifications — and be sure you have your A-game on every time you sit down to write an essay! Back to business. This week, I have three great scholarship opportunities for you, ...

This is not exactly financial aid related, but I saw this cool website and just had to share. GreenReportCard.org provides in-depth sustainability profiles of three hundred colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. The extensive data for this project is based primarily on information gathered through voluntary surveys of school administrators. There are nine main categories, such as green building, food & recycling, student involvement, and transportation, by which schools are rated.  A compilation of these nine ratings is calculated and then each school is assigned a final grade. My quick perusal of the website shows grades ranging from D- to A-. I have yet to find an A or an A+ yet…I guess when it comes to green, there’s always a little room for...

TGIFriday, all you scholarship seekers out there! I can hardly believe another week has come and gone. Have you made much headway on your college scholarship applications? Why not clear a few hours this weekend to dedicate to applying to one or two scholarships? What better way to pay for college than with free money?! This week, I have three great scholarship opportunities for you,  including the prestigious Coca Cola scholars program; a $2,500 medical software essay scholarship (all majors welcome); a $1,000 technology education scholarship. I hope you find something here than can help you pay for college! You can learn more about college scholarships by visiting Financial Aid Finder’s scholarships pages, which has helpful articles on everything from completing the scholarshi...

Welcome to the part 5 of my series on ways to reduce the cost of college.  It’s been a while since we have had an update, so this one is quite overdue, I’m afraid. Just to remind you, so far, I’ve spotlighted four suggestions: 1. Graduate from college in three years rather than four 2. Go to a local community college for up to two years before transferring to a four-year university 3. Volunteer for AmeriCorps and earn nearly $5,000 toward college 4. Take advantage of education tax credits and deductions to save up to $2,000 per year. Today I am focusing on a super easy way to save some money for college — by buying the food and other consumable goods your family already purchases. The program is called Upromise, and it was launched a decade ago. Today, there are ...

A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research has revealed that simplifying the rules of applying for financial aid is essential to facilitate more low-income students attending college. The study — “Into College, Out of Poverty? Policies to Increase the Post-secondary Attainment of the Poor” — is actually a review of 17 previous studies, all which examined the efficacy of various programs aimed at increasing access to college and keeping students enrolled. The authors of “Into College, Out of Poverty” found that confusing and cumbersome paperwork is a major deterrent to programs, such as the Pell Grant, in reaching their goal of enrolling (and retaining) low-income students who would not otherwise have gone to college. If targeted stud...

TGIF, all you scholarship seekers! I can’t believe it’s already October. Where has the time gone? Now that you are settling into school, hopefully you have a little bit more time to dedicate to your scholarship applications. And even though this year is just starting, it’s not too early to be seeking out scholarships for next year — and certainly next semester. This week — like every week at the Financial Aid Finder — I have some great leads on scholarships with upcoming deadlines. Usually I get you three of these leads, but today I just ran out of time — so you’re getting two! I hope one of these will help you to pay for college! You can learn more about college scholarships by visiting the Financial Aid Finder’s student scholarship s...

According to the New York Times, major delays by the Department of Veteran Affairs in issuing GI Bill benefit checks is causing countless vets to have to scramble to pay for college this semester. The new GI Bill, which took effect on August 1, 2009, was to provide more money than ever to cover tuition, books and housing. Eligible were veterans who had served since 9/11, as well as their dependents. Because of the VA’s antiquated technology, however, the Department has been unable to keep up with the more than 277,000 new applications. In fact, the Department reported last week that it had paid tuition for just 20,000 of the applicants, plus made payments to 13,000 more for other educational expenses, such as housing and textbooks. Processing of the benefit applications is takin...

The Chronicle of Higher Education is reporting that Rochville Univesrity has awarded a dog an M.B.A. Apparently this “diploma mill” of an online college received a check for $499 from Chester Ludlow — a pug — and sent in return a package containing a diploma and transcripts. Included as well were a certificate of distinction in finance for the pooch, and a letter documenting Chester’s participation in student council. Here’s GetEducated.com’s video about the stunt, which they pulled to warn about the dangers of diploma mills (“Dog Earns Online MBA: A Cautionary Tail.”) Are you thinking about getting your degree online? There are hundreds of reputable and worthwhile online institutions and hybrid schools (brick-and-mortar schools wit...