Paying for College

There are several ways to help with paying for college.  

• GRANTS - Financial aid, usually based on financial need, that does not need to be repaid.
• LOANS - Borrowing money from the federal government is called taking out a loan.  A loan must be paid back with an additional interest added. 
• SCHOLARSHIPS - Money awarded to students based on academic or other achievements to help pay for education expenses.
  • Never PAY for a company to help you find free financial aid.  There are links to reputable search engines are listed in the Scholarship Search tab.
• WORK-STUDY - The Federal Work-Study Program offers paid part-time jobs to help students pay for part of their college costs.  This money is not available up front to pay tuition.  Work-study can be earned throughout the academic year.

**Starting with the class of 2022, all seniors are required to fill out a FASFA/TASFA or opt-out form as a graduation requirement.**

FASFA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  “Colleges and trade schools use the FAFSA form to determine how much financial aid you're eligible to receive, which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans” studentaid.gov.

TASFA – Texas Applicaiton for State Financial Aid.  The TASFA is for students who are not eligible to fill out the FASFA.  Do NOT complete both the TASFA and FASFA.

Need more info?  Check out College for All Texans

**Scholarship Search Sites**

The Community Foundation of West Texas Scholarships

Fastweb

Texas Scholarships

CareerOneStop

Unigo

Unique Scholarships