How To Dull The Sting Of Increasing Tuition Costs
By Monica Wheeler, Sat Dec 10th

At a time when unemployment is high, personal income is flat,and college-level education is a requirement for mostwell-paying jobs, U.S. public colleges continue to become lessaffordable for students and families.

According to a recent report on college affordability from TheNational Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, statespending for colleges and universities has dropped sharply. Theresult ? a higher cost for higher education.

Despite serious increases, few states have invested significantfinancial aid to offset the cost while some have actuallydecreased student grant aid spending. Today?s families are leftto shoulder the worst public, higher education fiscal news in adecade.

However, there is money available for the diligent. Scholarshipsand grants offered through the private sector are available tohelp pay increasing tuition cost. Awards, need and merit based,are usually categorized by geographic location, specialinterest, or major career fields. Since criteria are specific,finding the right award can be tedious- but considering thecurrent economic recession, well worth the effort.

Here?s how to begin a productive grant and scholarship search:

1. Online Search-The Internet has emerged as a key source ofscholarship information. The following are a handful of helpfulsites.

http://www.wiredscholar.com Wired Scholar has one of theinternet?s largest databases of financial aid.

http://www.fastweb.com FastWeb allows you to search 600,000scholarships worth over $1 billion dollars.

http://www.brokescholar.com The BrokeScholar

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database matchesstudent profiles with more than 900,000 scholarships worth over$3 billion to find the most relevant and obtainableopportunities. They also feature a personalized deadlinecalendar.

http://www.collegeboard.com The College Board is a trustedsource that offers a search with 2,000 scholarships,internships, and loan programs.

2. Public and School Libraries-While you want to use theInternet for searches; there is a lot of competition. Got tolocal libraries and check with the reference desk forinstitutional, and private student aid scholarship directories.Most of the awards listed are duplicated online, but not all. Byinvesting time to thumb through the telephone-directory-sizedbooks you may find one or two the competition will miss.

3. Local Organizations -There is a better chance of winningmoney from local organizations such as churches, clubs,community groups, and unions since fewer students are likely toapply. Look for local chapters of larger, national organizationsthat often give money to students living in certain areas.

4. Place of Employment-Employers may also offer grants andscholarships. Inquire at your personnel office. Dependentstudents should ask their parent or legal guardian to check theavailability of awards. 5. Announcements -Keep your eyes open.Take time to read bulletin boards, posters, and articles innewspapers for competition announcements. Some scholarships areepisodic and may occur only once.

About the author:: Monica Wheeler is a national- award- winning freelance writer,who has helped thousands of parents and students prepare foruniversity admissions. For ?35 Practical Ways to Get Money forCollege? visit http://www.cashforcollege.bizhosting.com