• Annual financial aid averages $6,000 per student.
• About one quarter of students whose parents earned $100,000 or more received grants - an average of $4,310 at four-year private schools and $2,360 at public ones according to the latest data available.
• Today, the maximum Pell Grant covers only 39% of fixed costs (tuition and fees, room and board) at four-year public colleges and 15% at four-year private colleges.
• The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) indicates that student aid is provided to about 47% of families with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000 and about 36% of families with incomes between $60,000 and $100,000.
• Forty-one percent of college students receive grants each year and the average grant amount is $2,700. 
• At community colleges, over one-third of students receive aid, and the average amount received is over $2,000. 
• At four-year public institutions, more than half of students receive aid, and the average amount received is over $5,000. 
• At private colleges, 70 percent of students receive aid, and the average amount received is almost $9,000.

Start early in looking for scholarships. A lot of scholarship organizations make awards to next year's class in December and January.

Some Books on Scholarships You May Want to Read:
^{Parents Guide to Paying for College, by Gerald Krefetz (College Board, $14.95)}

^{Paying for College Without Going Broke, by Kalman A. Chany with Geoff Martz (Princeton Review, $18.00)}

Websites for Scholarships and General Going to College Information you may wish to visit:

http://www.fastweb.com
http://www.collegenet.com/mach25
http://finaid.com
http://www.fastaid.com
http://www.ed.gov/studentaid/

Understanding Scholarships

Everyone wants a scholarship. However, all scholarships are not based upon merit. Some are sweepstakes, like a lottery. Others are for things as crazy as being born in a particular county, being a stepchild or left-handed. It just takes persistence in searching and completing the applications. Another hint, scholarship applicants should file for any and all awards for which their qualifications and background fit or comes close to the criteria. To often, scholarships go unused because people don't apply. The other hint is to apply as early as you can.

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