Financing a higher education is a daunting task but there is help available to a student. A minority student has access to many resources available only to minorities. It would be advisable to start at basic information sites and customize your search as you go. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website is a great place to start (www.fafsa.edu.gov,) no matter what your specific needs are. There you will find a wealth of information about applying for financial aid, and links for more information on colleges, costs, funding, and scholarships.

There are grants available through both federal and state programs. Grants do not need to be re-paid. Most of the government aid is need based and will have specific eligibility criteria. The College Cost Reduction Act was signed into law by President Bush on September 27, 2007. This act increases funding for Federal Pell Grants by more than $11 billion dollars, over the next five years.

Funding is available for many specific careers. There are grants, fellowships, and scholarships designed to encourage minority to seek careers in the fields of; teaching, research, science; engineering, and others.

Another great source of information is the United States Department of Education (www.ed.gov). Links are available to locate colleges, funding sources, and career search. If you prefer to research off line there are many good books on the subject of funding. The Minority Student's Complete Scholarship Book by Inc.Student Services, and A Black Student's Guide to Scholarships by Barry Beckham (subtitled Beckham's Guide to Scholarships for Black and Minority Students) are two notable titles.

The scholarship hunt is a time consuming, but necessary evil for the majority of college students. The number of scholarships available is enormous! A minority student actually has a leg up on the competition because there are many scholarships available for minorities specifically. Anything that narrows the field gives you a better chance of being awarded that scholarship.

Scholarship searches like FastWeb (www.fastweb.com) help you set up a profile so you can get easy access to the scholarships a customized list that you may be eligible for. Other sites like FinAid (www.finaid.org) offer information on loans, grants, scholarships, and more. FastWeb is highly recommended by institutions and students alike.
Use caution when researching scholarships on the Web. Beware of any site that requires a fee or makes broad statements such as: Guaranteed Money for College! or Billions of Dollars Un-awarded! A good rule of thumb is: if it sounds to good to be true, it is!

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