Pay for College
Step by Step
 
Your Guide
Liz Pulliam Weston MSN Money columnist Liz Pulliam Weston answers reader questions in the Your Money message board.



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Scholarship of the Week
From skiing to academic excellence, there are college scholarships available to encourage your endeavors and to assist you financially at the college of your choice. Check out the FastWeb/MSN MoneyCentral Scholarship of the Week.

Funding college Q&A
Gifts
Life Insurance
Loans
Prepayment
Qualifying
ROTC/Military
Study Abroad
Tax Issues
Work Study

Related Step By Steps
Save for College
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College: can you afford it? Microsoft Money's Lifetime Planner tells you what it would take.
Step 1: Assess your funds
It's crunch time. Your genius is about to enter college and you need to take a long, hard look at your budget, and how you can best take advantage of the tax laws. Ask yourself how much you can pay out-of-pocket and how much you're going to need from other sources.

How to stretch your funds for college

Tax-savvy ways to fund college education

Step 2: Apply for scholarships and grants
There are tens of thousands of scholarships and grants available to students today. Make sure you pursue these options, because this is money you don't have to repay.

Winning ways to get scholarships and grants

Whether it's scholarships and grants you're looking for, or direct student loans, the MSN MoneyCentral Scholarship Search from FastWeb will help you find what's available, based on the information you provide

Q&A: Assistance, Grants, Scholarships

Step 3: Apply for financial aid
The dollars have been counted and you've still come up short. The options include borrowing money from financial institutions, the schools themselves or the biggest lender of all, the federal government.

How to negotiate a better deal for your scholar

Strategies to get the most financial aid

Student loans help to fill the gap

Financial aid availability
You can determine your eligibility for federally sponsored financial aid by filling out the U.S. Department of Education's Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) form from the FAFSA Web site.

Q&A: Financial Aid, Loans, Qualifying

Step 4: Give your student a budget
Now comes the hard part -- getting your scholar to stick to a budget.

Money management 101: getting your student on a budget

Money Deluxe trial
A great way to track finances is using personal finance software programs such as Money. Download a free trial.



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