Additional Resources

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On this page you'll find information about and links to resources on the topics of: FAFSA, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Choosing a College/Career, and More.

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2023 Presentations

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FAFSA

The FAFSA is currently being redesigned by the Federal Government and is estimated to be released in December. We will update this information as soon as it is available.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA, is a form that students should fill out before every year of college in order to apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans. Colleges use FAFSA data to determine a student's federal aid eligibility and many states and colleges use FAFSA data to award their own aid. The main website for FAFSA information is www.FAFSA.gov.

ILLINOIS-SPECIFIC FAFSA DETAILS:

In Illinois, students who are ineligible to apply for federal aid, specifically undocumented and transgender students, may apply for Illinois state aid by using the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid. Completing the Alternative Application provides a pathway for these students to apply for MAP grants, Illinois' largest need-based grant program for low-income college students.
Depending on application volume and the funds available in a given academic year, MAP grant funding is likely to be depleted before all eligible applicants are awarded. Students in Illinois are encouraged to complete and submit the FAFSA as soon as it is available, or to utilize the Alternative Application.

FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIPS

Illinois Student Assistance Commission: Illinois-specific agency that provides Illinois students with information and assistance to help make education beyond high school accessible and affordable.
FinAid.org: Information on financial aid for college and tips on how to ease the burden of college expenses.
MyinTuition.org: provides a personalized estimate of what it would cost an individual to attend college, including financial aid estimates.
Scholarships.com: Expansive database of scholarships (3.7 million and counting) searchable by school, geography, major, interests, demographics, and more.
FastWeb.com: Find scholarships, financial aid and FAFSA information, college and job search, and more.
Cappex.com: Research schools, get scholarships, and understand where you fit at any stage of your college journey.
Edvisors.com: A complete guide to private student loans. Compare lenders, determine which lenders will make loans to the school you plan to attend, make plans to repay or refinance existing loans, and more.
CollegeBoard.org: Comprehensive source for college planning, including SAT/AP/CLEP info and prep, college search, scholarship search, career finder, and more.

CHOOSING A COLLEGE/CAREER

College Navigator: Use a series of filters/options to refine a college search; make side-by-side comparisons of schools; build a map of the colleges in your search; and much more.
CollegeBoard: Comprehensive source for college planning, including SAT/AP/CLEP info and prep, college search, scholarship search, career finder, and more.
EducationQuest Foundation: Specifically designed for students in Nebraska but with many resources applicable to ALL students. Includes resources to help students as young as 6th grade prepare for attending college, including career exploration and planning, steps to take throughout high school to prepare for college, FAFSA tools, and more.
College Rank: Customized search considering "the whole package" of a college, matching a degree program to specific student interests or characteristics related to the culture/experience provided by a particular institution.
Cappex.com: Research schools, get scholarships, and understand where you fit at any stage of your college journey.

MORE RESOURCES

Print Resources available from the Rockford Public Library:

Peterson’s How to Get Money for College 2021 - Reference copy - at Hart Interim Library
Peterson's How to Get money for College 2020 - Circulating
Peterson’s Scholarships, Grants & Prizes 2021 - Reference (at Hart Interim Library) and circulating copies
Peterson's Scholarships, Grants & Prizes 2020 - Circulating
Paying for College (Princeton Review 2020 ed.) - Circulating
The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2020 and 2021 (by Gen Tanabe) - Circulating

SavingForCollege.com: Free tools to help you start, track, and grow your child's college savings.
Scholarship Tax Calculator: Determine if your scholarship/financial aid may be taxed and if so, how much it will be taxed.

Please Note: This page is updated frequently to add new resources and to update existing resources in order to ensure the accuracy of the information that is provided. However, the nature of online/digital resources and the financial aid landscape in general means that information changes rapidly. Links and dates may change, and available scholarships and aid may vary from year to year depending on a variety of factors. Users are encouraged to use caution when accessing information via third-party sources and in particular to never enter personal information without verifying the validity of the site in question. The inclusion of a resource on this page does not indicate endorsement of the source by Scholarships Northern Illinois.