College Scholarship Links

• Federal Student Aid (FSA) for counselors  [opens in a new window]  - Federal Student Aid (FSA) launches its new website specifically for middle school, secondary school & TRIO counselors. The site provides an online source of information about student aid for college and career schools. Features include the High School Counselor's Handbook, federal student aid publications (with instruction on how to print or order them), videoconferences, and scripts and slides for presenting a financial aid night. Please share this announcement with college access program staff and schools in your area - and with others who help guide students toward postsecondary education. You can access the website at http://ifap.ed.gov/ifap/ [opens in a new window]
• Report on Getting Ready to Pay for College  [opens in a new window] - Using data from Parent and Youth Survey of the 1999 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES: 1999), the National Center for Educational Statistics released, "Getting Ready to Pay for College: What Students and their Parents Know About the Cost of College Tuition and What They Are Doing to Find Out". The report studies what college bound students and their parents know about the cost of going to college as well as how their knowledge of costs affects preparation for college. It examines whether parents have begun to save for their children's education, gathered information on financial aid, and knew about various tax credits to assist in offsetting costs. The report also looks at the conservations students have with their parents, teachers, and counselors regarding college costs, college requirements, and the availability of financial aid.
  To view this report please visit the NCES website at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003030.pdf (pdf)  [opens in a new window]
• Scholarship For Service  [opens in a new window] - Parents may be interested in advising their aspiring college students of this new OPM program, "Scholarship For Service," that offers college funding in return for a period of employment by the student after graduation. The program is funded through grants awarded by the National Science Foundation.
  The program has been designed to increase and strengthen the cadre of federal information assurance professionals to better protect the government's critical information infrastructure. It provides scholarships that fully fund the typical costs that students pay for books, tuition, and room and board while attending an approved institution of higher learning.
  Additionally, participants receive stipends of up to $8,000 for undergraduates and $12,000 for graduate students. While still in school, students funded for more than a year will also serve a paid internship at a federal agency. The agency may offer students other paid employment while they are on scholarship if it does not interfere with their studies.
  Information on the SFS program is available at www.sfs.opm.gov  [opens in a new window]
• Trioprograms Information  [opens in a new window] - Federal TRIO Programs home page. Information about educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• WVApply  [opens in a new window] - The Higher Education Policy Commission has partnered with American Education Services and the West Virginia Mentor to bring on-line admission and financial aid applications to the computer screens of West Virginia students.