A recent survey of more than 1,000 American adults, commissioned by CCH and conducted by GfK Roper, found that most taxpayers don’t know which tax breaks are most beneficial to them, including higher education tax credits and deductions. Remember my post from several weeks ago outlining the tax credits and tax deductions for higher education expenses? Well, according to the survey, most people thought the deduction would save them more in taxes — when in fact, the tax credit offers much bigger savings. The Results: 41 percent or respondents said the higher education deduction saves the most 16 percent said the Hope Credit would save the most 14 said the Lifetime Learning Credit is the biggest tax break 29 percent said they didn’t know The reality: Either the $2,00...

You may think your week is over. But for scholarship seekers, the real work is just beginning. Spring is high season for scholarship committees, with more deadlines every week than many fall months. If you haven’t already applied for college scholarships, it’s not too late. Take a few hours every week to search for scholarships you qualify for — and then a few more hours to complete your applications. When you win free money for college, you will be glad for the investment. Every Friday I try to make your search a little easier by posting three broad-appeal scholarships with upcoming deadlines. This week, I have a $500 essay competition about disaster readiness; a $1,000 “frame your future” contest (creativity is a must); and a $7,000 leadership scholarshi...

If you are a graduating high school student or an undergraduate college student, it’s time to consider applying for a BECU Foundation scholarship. Since 1995, the BECU Foundation has awarded over 500 scholarships totaling over $1,000,000. In 2008, the BECU Foundation awarded 40 student-members scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each. Scholarship Selection Selection is based on the student’s commitment to service through volunteer efforts and school activities, as well as academic performance. Scholarship selection is made without regard to the applicant’s race, color, national origin, religious belief, sex, marital status, age or physical disability. Applicants must be BECU (Boeing Employee Credit Union) members. Applications due March 31, 2009 Download an applicati...

Do you need help with your financial aid application? Are you worried about how to complete your FAFSA in order to maximize your student aid award? If your answers were yes and YES, then you need to know about College Goal Sunday. I just read about this free nationwide program in my local Saturday paper. I was so impressed with what I read that I jumped online to learn more. Here’s the deal: The goal of College Goal is to help students and their parents navigate the financial aid process. On Sunday afternoons throughout the winter, College Goal Sunday stages free help sessions at different sites across the country. Financial aid professionals will be on site to offer hands-on help completing your FAFSA and answering your other financial aid questions. To learn more about this fre...

July 10, 2008 by Mara Strom Welcome to Scholarship Thursday! Did you know that scholarships are FREE money for college? This week we’ve got three great opportunities for you to earn some of that FREE money. Each of these scholarships has a deadline of July 15, so time is of the essence. Good luck and please let us know if you land a scholarship that was featured here. At FAF, we love a happy ending! 1. Emc2 Election Multimedia Contest: $2,000 Do you have an opinion on energy security, genetic engineering, stem cell research or space militarization? If you could share your thoughts about a science, technology or health issue with the next American President, what would you tell him? Student Pugwash USA (SPUSA), a nonprofit educational organization devoted to multi-dimensional scientif...

July 7, 2008 by Mara Strom Most of the time I come here and talk about what you should do to get financial aid…Gentle reminders about filing before the FAFSA deadline, applying for as many scholarships as you can, and picking the right student loan to cover the gap. Well, today, I’m going to be a little more ruthless. I’m going to tell you what NOT to do — under any circumstances — if you want financial aid. Don’t let one of these goofs gut your chances for the education you want and deserve. 1. Not Applying for Financial Aid This made sound too obvious to be true, but many students and their families assume they won’t qualify for financial aid so they don’t even bother applying. They think they make too much money — but even families makin...

July 3, 2008 by Mara Strom Happy 4th of July! Tomorrow is Independence Day – and since even the most diligent scholarship searcher out there is probably enjoying a little patriotic partying, FAF is taking a break from our regular Scholarship Thursday format. Instead of three scholarships with impending deadlines, this week we’ve got four 4th of July-themed scholarships. If it’s got the words liberty, freedom, or proud-to-be-an-American in it, we’re all over it. You may have to wait ’til next year to apply for some of these, but keep them in your back pocket – or your Yankee Doodle Dandy cap! 1. True Patriot Scholarship: $25,000 Yes, you read that right: $25,000. That’s a lot of credit hours, books and cafeteria meals right there! To win this ma...

June 26, 2008 by Mara Strom After last week’s one-shot, social networking scholarship opportunity (you still have a few days left to win it!), our normal three-for-Thursday format is back. Hopefully you’ll find some free money for college from one of these scholarships, all of which have either June 30th or July 1st deadlines. Not a lot of time left, so get to it! 1. Focus on Your Possibilities Scholarship Program: $5,000 If you’re an adult with ADHD, you know how challenging it is to pursue higher education – especially outside of the traditional frameworks. Now there’s help to fund your college costs with one of Eli Lilly and Company’s 21 $5,000 educational scholarships given out every year. Awards are based on merit and go to those who have demonstrat...

June 19, 2008 by Mara Strom By now you’ve probably gotten used to me posting three scholarship notices every Thursday. Well, since I like to mix things up, I’m only going to give you one scholarship notice this week… but it’s a doozy. Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, you already know all about social networking. Facebook is your friend. You tweet on twitter. But have you heard of CollegeNET, the newest social network focused on education? If you’re not on the NET, you should be. Especially if you’d like to earn a cool five grand for college. Here’s the deal. All have to do to win one of CollegeNET’s five scholarships is something you’re probably already doing anyway: Social networking. You sign up for an acc...

June 16, 2008 by Mara Strom If you need financial aid for the 2008-2009 school year, then heads up: You’ve got two weeks from today to complete your FAFSA. FAFSA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and it tells you and your school how much — and what kind of — federal financial aid you’re eligible for. Plus, a lot of private scholarships that include “financial need” as one of their eligibility requirements will want to see it, too. The FAFSA can be completed on-line and the filing deadline for next year is midnight Central Daylight time on June 30. If you’re looking for tips on filing out your FAFSA, we posted some great ones here. You’ll also want to check out the FAFSA site for a list of all the documents you need to c...