Paying for College

After completing your college search, figuring out how to pay for college is often difficult and confusing for students and parents. Where are you supposed to start? And how do you know that you are truly paying the least amount possible? No need to worry, we have broken down the steps to paying for college below.

Step 1: Scholarships & Grants

In order to make sure you are paying the least amount of money possible for college, make sure you apply for as many scholarships as possible, since it's basically free money since you do not have to pay it back.

A lot of students think that scholarships are diffuclt to obtain, and that you have to write long essays for most of them. This is not true! There are scholarships for literally everyone. Our scholarship search site will help you find these scholarships and help you pay for college. We also give away monthly free scholarships of $1,000 up to $10,000 at ScholarshipPoints.com. It's free and easy to join, and it's a lot of fun - sign up today and win free scholarships!

Step 2: Federal Student Loans

The next step in paying for college is by securing the most federal financial aid as possible, in the form of federal student loans. Federal loans are the most abundant type of student loans, and usually have the best benefits as well as lowest interest rates.

The Stafford Loan is the first federal student loan that you should apply for. This loan has an interest rates as low as 6%, no application fee, and no payments until six months after you graduate. In order to be approved for this loan, you must file a FAFSA. After filing your FAFSA be sure to secure a Stafford Loan.

Another federal student loan option you should consider to help you pay for college is the PLUS loan. This loan is taken out under the parent or guardians name, and has many great benefits and a low-interest rate .

Step 3: Private Student Loans

Scholarships and federal financial aid typically fall short of providing all the funds you need to pay for college. A Private Student Loan from the Student Loan Network allows you to borrow from $500 up to the cost of education, no repayment until after graduation, and you don't need to complete the FAFSA.