Financial aid is meant to help you pay for school and education. Many schools offer financial aid to distance learners, but not all do. Thus, it is recommended you contact any online school you wish to attend to confirm whether they offer any type of financial assistance.

Your first step in applying for aid is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Submit the FAFSA form as soon as possible on or after January 1. Most states need to receive the FAFSA by March 1 to qualify for state aid. You dont need to wait to complete your tax return, you can just estimate your income; any errors may be corrected later. The application can not be submitted before January 1, because the need analysis methodology for financial aid uses the income and tax information from the most recent tax year (the base year) to judge eligibility for need-based financial aid for the upcoming academic year (the award year). Since the base year ends December 31, a financial aid application can't be submitted until January 1. You can complete a paper application of the FAFSA or file electronically through the Internet. You can a get the paper FAFSA from the financial aid office at a local college, your local public library, or by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID. Filing on the Internet is the fastest way to get the FAFSA processed, and is helpful for checking errors. You will also need to provide information regarding household size, income and assets. Follow directions carefully (if corrections are needed it can cause delays.) If you choose the fill your FAFSA by paper, make sure to make copies and get a dated receipt for proof of mailing. If you need help, you dont need to pay someone to help you with the FAFSA, contact your schools financial aid administrator or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-(800)4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

Of course! You should never assume that you do not qualify for financial aid. Many students end up missing out on many sources of aid, including grants and low interest loans that are offered no matter your grade point average, credit history or financial need. Most federal and state aid programs do not have an age limit although some scholarship programs might. Many large companies offer tuition assistance programs. Most financial aid comes in the form of scholarships or grants, student loans, federal work study, or tax credits. The largest portion of financial aid comes from the federal and state governments, then colleges and universities, and private sources of aid such as community and professional organizations.

The FAFSA will be processed by the U. S. Department of Education within approximately four weeks, and a Student Aid Report (SAR) will be mailed to you. This same information is also sent to the colleges you listed on the FAFSA. The SAR will contain the information from your application, and if there are no errors or questions, will provide your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), or what you will be expected to pay toward your education.

Your EFC is determined by using the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a "federal methodology" formula. The formula incluldes income, assets, family size, and the number of family members enrolled in college.
After receiving your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) figure from the federal processor, the financial aid office at your school then subtracts your EFC from the school's average cost of attendance to find your financial need. Contact your school to get a breakdown of their cost of attendance.

Colleges usually disburse financial aid at the beginning of each semester. Funds may first be used to pay your tuition and other expenses, and the balance remitted to you by check.

There are some special circumstances that may adjust your estimated EFC and qualify you for more aid. For example: the death of or divorce from a spouse, loss of employment or other income, extraordinary medical expenses, and expenses for dependent child care. Contact your financial aid administrator if any of these conditions apply. However, you will need to provide proof to support any changes.

There are some special circumstances that may adjust your estimated EFC and qualify you for more aid. For example: the death of or divorce from a spouse, loss of employment or other income, extraordinary medical expenses, and expenses for dependent child care. Contact your financial aid administrator if any of these conditions apply. However, you will need to provide proof to support any changes.

No, you may register for as many or as few courses as you wish. Financial aid is also available for part-time students; however the amount given depends on the number of units taken.

To determine the best award package, calculate the amount of aid that remains after paying a school's tuition and fees instead of just considering the total aid amount. A good award package allows a generous portion of grant aid with a reasonable level of self-help which are renewable.

Generally, courses for personal development or other programs that do not work toward a degree are not eligible for financial aid. You must be admitted into an accredited college or university degree program. You can attend full or part-time.

Outside financial aid and scholarships must be reported to the financial aid office in order to adjust your financial aid package.

The Guide to Federal Student Aid: 2006-2007.
All about federal financial aid from the Department of Education.

State Higher Education Agencies.
Information on state education programs, financial aid assistance programs, grants, scholarships, continuing education programs, and career opportunities

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Form Online.
Department of Education site to file your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on the Web. There is a pre-application worksheet (see records you will need) and instructions on how to complete the application.

FAFSA Express.
Downloadable software that prepares and submits your completed FAFSA electronically, ensuring faster receipt. The software also automatically checks FAFSA data, resulting in fewer rejected applications, and provides full instructions.

Department of Education PIN.
Personal identification number you will need to access your account at U.S. Department of Education Web sites: FAFSA on the Web, National Student Loan Data System, Direct Loan Servicing and Consolidation.

Federal School Codes Search.
Department of Education site that enables you to look up school codes online.

CSS/Financial Aid Profile.
Complete the College Board financial aid profile online.

Financial Aid Calculators.
Use the calculators from FinAid to prepare an estimate of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and your financial need. Other calculators from FinAid include the College Cost Projector and the Loan Payment Calculator that computes an estimate of monthly loan payments and the necessary annual salary for repayment.

CNN College Cost Finder.
Great tool for comparing costs of schools you are interested in. Also offers a Student Loan Calculator.

FastWeb.
Find free money for college or an advanced degree. Popular database of more than 400,000 scholarships.

The Princeton Review Scholarship Search.
Divided into college scholarships, business scholarships, law scholarships, medical scholarships, and graduate school scholarships.

FastAid.
The world's largest and oldest private sector scholarship database. From Dan Cassidy, author of "The Scholarship Book".

College Board Scholarship Search.
Potential scholarship opportunities from a database of 3,400 programs, over one million awards in all.

EduPrep.
Free database (requires registration) of 600,000 scholarships from 9,000 sources.