Paying for college can be a great investment. But wouldn’t it be even greater if someone else picked up part of the tab? Each year nearly 8-billion dollars in scholarships is handed out to 1.7 million students. Today on MoneyWise, we’ll tell you how you may be able to get some of that free money. 
<ul><li>SOARING COLLEGE COSTS</li><li>So, how expensive is college? The latest data from the College Board shows that … the average in-state student attending a four-year public college this year … will spend over $27,000. That’s just for one year. For students attending private colleges, the average annual cost is nearly $55,000.</li><li>Many organizations are willing to help you pay for college through scholarships if you meet their qualifications. Below are a number of resources to help point you in the right direction. </li><li>SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES</li><li>Our first source for scholarship money is <a href="http://www.fastweb.com/">Fastweb</a>. They host more than 1.5 million scholarships totaling nearly $3.5 billion in scholarships and grants. A search feature helps match you to scholarships that meet your individual needs. It’ll also keep track of where you’ve applied.</li><li>The <a href="https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search">College Board</a> is best known for testing materials, but it can also help you pay for college. On their site you can apply for scholarships and internships. They have leads on about 2,200 programs offering nearly $6 billion every year.</li><li><a href="https://colleges.niche.com/">Niche.com</a>, as the name implies, can help you not only to find scholarship money, but also colleges that cater to your specific major and interests.</li><li>Next there’s <a href="https://www.scholarships.com/">Scholarships.com</a>. They have a huge database with more than 3.5 million scholarship and grant opportunities totaling almost $20 billion. You can browse by category or set up a profile to help you find scholarships specific to your interests.</li><li><a href="https://www.cappex.com">Cappex</a> is another great source for scholarships. They have leads on $11 billion in scholarship opportunities. They also have a tool to help you calculate the odds of getting into a school of your choice before you even apply. </li><li><a href="https://www.chegg.com/scholarships">Chegg</a> is best known as an online textbook store, but they can also point you to about 25,000 different scholarships. And they have a “top picks of the week” feature to help improve your odds of landing one.</li><li>Keep in mind that many of these scholarship opportunities are merit-based, meaning the higher your grades, the better your chances of landing that kind of scholarship.</li><li>But what if you’re more athletically inclined? There’s a site to help with that. <a href="https://www.unigo.com">Unigo</a> lets you search for athletic scholarships as well as a wide variety of funding opportunities offered by specific schools and companies.</li><li>Also, check out <a href="https://www.petersons.com/scholarship-search.aspx">Peterson’s</a>, which is best known as a clearinghouse for information about colleges and universities. They also host about $10 billion in scholarship opportunities.</li><li>The Labor Department sponsors a website called <a href="https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx">CareerOneStop</a>, which allows you to search more than 8,000 scholarships, fellowships, and grants. And that’s money you won’t have to pay back.</li><li>One final idea: check with the financial aid office at whichever schools you apply to. Sometimes they have scholarship money available, too.</li></ul>On this program, Rob also answers listener questions: 
<ul><li>At age 65, would it be best to take your own Social Security benefits or the survivor benefits of a deceased spouse? </li><li>When does it make sense to turn to a fiduciary for financial advice? </li><li>When should you buy long-term car insurance vs relying on retirement nestegg? </li><li>Should you wait until 70 year of age to begin drawing Social Security? </li></ul>Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000 or email them to <a href="mailto:questions@moneywise.org">Questions@MoneyWise.org</a>. Also, visit our website at <a href="http://moneywise.org/">MoneyWise.org</a> where you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, join the MoneyWise Community, and even download the free MoneyWise app. Like and Follow us on Facebook at MoneyWise Media for videos and the very latest discussion! Remember that it’s your prayerful and financial support that keeps MoneyWise on the air. Help us continue this outreach by clicking the <a href="https://moneywise.netviewshop.com/donate2">Donate tab on our website</a> or in our app.

FaithFi

Faith & Finance is a daily radio ministry hosted by Rob West. The program offers a practical, biblical and good-natured approach to managing your time, talents and resources.

Faith & Finance with Rob West

Paying for college can be some of the smartest money you’ll ever spend but wouldn’t it be great if someone else picked up part of the tab?  Rob talks about how, each year, nearly $8 billion in scholarships goes out to 1.7 million students.

The Scholarship Hunt

FaithFi | Jan 18, 2022

Show Notes

Where Faith Meets Finance

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