June 12, 2008 by Mara School may be out for summer – but don’t get too comfortable lounging at the pool, especially if you still need some more cash to pad your college fund.  Here’s a look at three great scholarships with mid to late June deadlines that you don’t want to miss. 1) Safety Scholars Competition Are you a budding film major?  Fancy becoming an advertising exec one day? Just like playing around with your computer’s editing software?  Bridgestone Firestone is giving you a chance to call “Action!” with its Safety Scholars Competition.  Make a short video spot (25-55 seconds) about safe driving and enter it in the competition – you might be one of three grand-prize winners to nab the $5,000 college scholarship and a free trip to ...

June 8, 2008 by Mara Strom Unless your last name is Rockefeller, you’ll need to think long and hard about the expense of your college education. Even though more than 90% of college grads say their degree was “worth it,” the cost can still be staggering. If you’re in college — or planning to attend — here are five online calculators that can help you get a handle on your higher education finances. #1. Budget Calculator You got into the college of your dreams! Congratulations! But… can you afford it? The first step to figuring out whether Dream U is in the cards is to determine your total college-related expenses and estimate your (and your parents) available income to cover those expenses. This handy budget calculator from the U.S. Department of E...

June 5, 2008 by Mara Strom Each Thursday, The Financial Aid Finder offers you a list of outstanding scholarship opportunities with looming deadlines. If you’re looking for free money to help pay for your college education, then you might enjoy one of our archived articles about writing scholarship essays, the four qualities scholarship committees look for, and free college scholarship search engines. This Thursday we’ve got three exciting scholarship opportunities with June deadlines. If you won all three, you’d be able to put an extra $8,000 into your college fund kitty. With June deadlines, you don’t have much time — so get to it! 1) The Developmental Fund for Black Students in Science and Technology Scholarship This renewable scholarship provides up to ...

June 2, 2008 by Mara Strom Whether you’re for Obama, Clinton or McCain, here’s an issue you might want to consider: Financial aid for our nation’s service men and women. Do you know where your candidate stands? A new GI Bill is being debated in Congress, which if passed, would be the biggest expansion of education benefits to veterans since World War II. Sponsored by Senate Democrat and Vietnam War veteran Jim Webb (VA), the plan would give anyone who has served in the military for at least three years a full-ride scholarship to any of their in-state public universities. The plan would also boost monthly housing stipends for student veterans. The Senate passed the bill 75-22 last week with strong bipartisan support. The House is set to take up the measure after its week-l...

May 29, 2008 by Mara Strom After a rather long spring break, the Financial Aid Finder is back with our Scholarship Thursday update. This week, we’ve got three hot scholarship opportunities with deadlines of this weekend. You don’t have much time, so get to it! 1) Coca-Cola Two Year College Scholars Remember our article on Monday about the growing need for financial aid among community college students? Well, here’s the perfect way to nip that need in the bud: Coca Cola is awarding 350 one-time $1,000 scholarships to students attending a two-year college. Applicants must demonstrate leadership and excellence through their academic record, as well as their involvement in community service and/or employment. To apply, you can be a high school senior or an already matriculate...

April 24, 2008 by Mara Strom Don’t you just love it when your alma mater does something newsworthy that makes you truly proud to say you went to school there? Well, that’s what happened to me yesterday, when I learned some great news about Tufts University! My alma mater recently unveiled its plans to be the first university in America to help encourage students to work in the public sector by paying off their student loans. Tufts grads working either for non-profit organizations or for government agencies will be eligible for the award, which will cover a portion of their monthly loan payments and make certain career choices a lot more viable. In 2005, Tufts reported that the average starting salary for one of its grads working in the public sector was about $25,000 a year (mo...

April 21, 2008 by Mara Strom Summer is just around the corner. Which means, it’s time to start your search for the perfect summer job or internship — you know, the one with enough earning potential to cover your contribution to tuition, room and board for next year. Summer jobs are undoubtedly a cash cow for many working students, but if you’re looking for a less labor-intensive way to earn some extra money for college, then check out our scholarship update. Today’s update includes two great opportunities with deadlines coming up this week. You don’t have much time left, and one of these requires a serious essay, so check them out quickly! 1. The Student-View Scholarship This is more like Publisher’s Clearing House than a traditional scholarship, but hey, $1...

April 17, 2008 by Mara Strom If you’re a recent college grad straddled with a sizeable chunk of student debt, you’re in good company. In fact, a study by The National Center for Education Statistics indicates that 50% of all college grads have an average of $10,000 or more to pay back on their college loans. Let’s say you’re a little better than average and take out $18K in loans. Here’s what you’ll be looking at: $207 per month for 10 years, if you’ve got a Stafford Loan with a (relatively low) fixed interest rate of 6.8%. And P.S. On the original principle, you’ll be paying back another $6,900 in interest. If you want to see the breakdown for your specific loan, check out the nifty student loan calculator at finaid.org. Now consider that the average starting s...

Taxes Are Due… And So Are Some Scholarships Applications April 14, 2008 With the IRS filing deadline looming, you may not even realize that the week of April 15th is also a popular deadline for many scholarships. Hopefully you’ll be getting some money back from the government’s stimulus package (unless, of course, your parents still claim you as a dependent) – but even still, applying for scholarships is a better long-term strategy to pay for your educational future. You don’t have much time for these three scholarships with deadlines later this week, so check them out now! 1. Sallie Mae Fund American Dream Scholarship The United Negro College Fund has teamed up with the Sallie Mae Fund to offer scholarships to African American students from low-income families. Scholarships rang...

April 10, 2008 America’s largest not-for-profit guarantor of private student loans declared bankruptcy Monday night. The Education Resource Institute or “TERI” explained its decision to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy by citing a sharp increase in the number of borrowers defaulting on their loans plus the troubled credit market. TERI currently has more than $17 billion in outstanding guarantees. How could TERI’s announcement impact you? For current borrowers, your loan will likely be unaffected. Future borrowers, however, may encounter problems. Here’s the rundown on some possible scenarios. How Guarantors Work When you are approved for a student loan, the bank or lending organization seeks a guarantor to repay the loan should you default on it. The guarantor co...