Financial Aid: Significant Need -Academic Record: Above Average – Path: College
Use the resources in the links below to get information for making a plan. Complete the Aspiration Plan form after exploring the information.
Click the links below to get information about how to pay for college and how to make decisions about return on investment.
| Link | Description |
|---|---|
| College Costs by Major | College Costs by Major |
| College Score Card | Return on Investment information for any college |
| What is a living wage? | Living wage calculator |
| FAFSA | Application for federal aids and student loans |
| FAFSA 4caster | This will forecast your eligibility amounts. |
| What you need for FAFSA | What you need before you get started on FAFSA |
| Scholarship search engine | Scholarship search engine |
| College Board Scholarship Search | Scholarship search engine |
| Questbridge | High quality private colleges looking for high achieving low-income students |
| Carolina Covenant | Free tuition for low-income students |
| Pell Grants | Tuition money that does not need to be paid back. Eligibility depends on financial need. |
| Americorps Education Credits | You can earn college tuition credits by being an Americorps volunteer. |
| Voucher for Fostered Youth | Financial aid for students who are or have been in foster care. |
| NC Foster Care Vouchers | North Carolina's version of the foster care tuition voucher application. |
| Net Price Calculator | Use this Net Price Calculator to help you plan what college will cost. |
| Financial Literacy Resources | Government website for Financial Literacy curriculum and resources |
| CLT scores and scholarships | Scholarships based on Classic Learning Test scores |
| CareerOneStop | Scholarship finder sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor |
| Cappex | Create an account to get a personalized list of scholarships. |
| College Greenlight | Resources for low-income and historically underrepresented students. |
| Student Scholarship Search | This site uses your grade, GPA, state, gender, and ethnic background to match you to scholarships. |
| Fastweb | Find scholarships specific to your needs. |
| Going Merry | Find and apply to scholarships in one place by creating an account to this website. |
| Scholarship America | Another free site to search for scholarships. |
| Scholarships | Free search for over 3.7 million scholarships and grants. |
| Unigo | Create a free scholarship profile to find scholarships that you may be eligible for. |
| Global Scholarhips | A scholarship search engine dedicated to supporting international students' academic dreams through scholarship opportunities. |
You may want to improve your scores by studying and retaking the ACT/SAT. Ask your school counselor about qualifying for a free re-take if you have already taken the ACT/SAT.
| Link | Description |
|---|---|
| ACT Academy | Free practice for the ACT |
| Practice Tests | Free Accuplacer practice tests. |
| Kaplan ACT Prep | Free Kaplan ACT Prep |
| SAT Prep Khan Academy | Free SAT Prep |
| Classic Learning Test | Some colleges are using CLT instead of ACT or SAT for entrance exams. |
Click the links to explore information about what careers including which are fastest growing, education required, and expected salaries, and colleges with tuition help.
| Link | Description |
|---|---|
| Skills Matcher | Match your skills to careers. |
| ONET Skill Matcher | Onet Skills Match |
| Career Info | Research careers |
| Overview of Employment and Wages | Stats on jobs and wages |
| Fastest Growing Careers | Explore fastest growing careers. |
| Fastest Growing Industries | Explore fastest growing industries |
| STEM Careers | Explore STEM career options |
| NC Promise | In-state tuition is $500 a semester at 3 NC Colleges |
| Alice Lloyd College | Tuition Free for low-income students. |
| Berea College | Tuition Free for low-income students. |
| Barclay College | Tuition Free Christian college |
| College of the Ozarks | Tuition Free Christian college |
| Curtis Institute of Music | Tuition Free based on music talent |
| United States Air Force Academy | Tuition Free, but very competitive |
| Deep Springs College | Tuition Free 2-year school |
| United States Coast Guard Academy | Tuition Free, competitive |
| Vanderbilt Opportunity | Vanderbilt has good financial aid for students who need it. |
| Warren Wilson | Warren Wilson College has affordable or free tuition |
| Webb Institute | Needs based tuition waivers |
| Williamson | Needs based tuition help: Trade school |