How to Pay for College

Author
Grace Lemire
Grace Lemire
author

Grace Lemire is a freelance writer and editor with over five years of experience in the personal finance industry. She has been featured on a variety of publications, including NPR, CNN, FinanceBuzz, Dollar Geek, Pangea, and True Finance. Her work focuses on the intersection of personal finance and technology. In 2023, Grace was nominated for the Best Personal Finance Advice award in Debt.com’s FinTok Awards.

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Edited by
Daniel Kahn
Daniel Kahn
editor
Daniel is the co-founder and COO at Sparrow. Daniel is responsible for the day-to-day operations of a company, working closely with other members of the executive team to develop and implement strategies to support the growth and success of the company.
Daniel was a 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 lister in the Education category.  Daniel was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina and graduated from Duke University in 2020.
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Reviewed by
Camden Ford
Camden Ford
reviewer

Camden leads Sparrow’s business operations – everything from product management to business analytics. After graduating Cum Laude from Duke University where he studied Civil Engineering, Camden worked as a Consultant for A.T. Kearney where he worked in their Strategic Operations practice. With a strong background in analytics, Camden strives to deliver data-driven conclusions and insights.

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Updated
November 13, 2023

Let’s set the scene.

You got accepted into your dream school. You’re so excited you can hardly contain it. A few days go by and the reality sets in. How am I going to pay for this?

You log into your school’s payment portal and look at the total cost of attendance. Before you panic, let’s break down all the steps you’ll need to take to pay for college.

Before College

Step 1: Complete the FAFSA

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education offers financial aid to college students. The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is a form you will need to fill out to be considered for this aid.

The FAFSA determines which students receive financial aid and how much they get. The information you provide in the form is also used by colleges and universities to determine eligibility for their scholarships and aid programs.

The FAFSA opens each year on October 1st. Students should fill out the FAFSA the year before they plan to start school. For example, if you plan to be in school by October of 2022, you’ll want to fill out the FAFSA in October of 2021.

We recommend that prospective students fill out the FAFSA as soon as they can after it opens. Note that you do not need to know exactly where you plan to enroll to fill out the FAFSA. In fact, you will likely fill out the FAFSA before you even apply to some schools.

Most people elect to fill out the FAFSA online, although there are other ways to complete it. For a more in-depth guide to the FAFSA, check out 6 Simple Steps to Fill Out the FAFSA.

Step 2: Apply for Grants and Scholarships

Grants and scholarships are also known as “free money” because they don’t need to be repaid. They tend to be merit-based, need-based, or a combination of both.

What does that mean?

Merit-based → awarded based on academic achievement or excelling in an interest, trait, or talent

Need-based → awarded based on financial need

The amount of money you can get in scholarships and grants ranges quite a bit. Some grants and scholarships will cover the cost of books, and others will cover the entire cost of tuition. According to Education Data, students receive $7,500 worth of scholarships and grants, on average.

To find college scholarships and grants, you can do the following:

  1. Ask your high school guidance counselor for local resources. Local organizations such as Veterans Clubs, Rotary programs, and small businesses may offer scholarships.
  2. Look to your employer or your parents’ employers. You’d be surprised how many companies offer scholarships!
  3. Research organizations that cater to identities you hold, such as:
    1. Ethnicity-based organizations
    2. Women’s/Men’s Clubs
    3. Volunteer or Service-based organizations (nonprofits, community organizations, civic groups)
    4. Professional associations
    5. Contact state grant agencies
    6. Use the U.S. Department of Labor’s FREE Scholarship Search Tool
    7. Do service projects on DoSomething.org to be entered to win scholarships.
    8. Use reputable scholarship sites such as FastWeb, CollegeBoard, and Bold.org.

Note that deadlines for each scholarship will be different. We recommend making a Google Sheet to track each scholarship or grant you plan to apply to, the deadline, and the materials required to apply.

Step 3: Get a Work-Study Job

After filling out the FAFSA, you may qualify for work-study. Work-study is a federal aid program that provides part-time jobs to college students with financial need. Qualifying for this program doesn’t guarantee you will receive a job, but it does open the door to various job opportunities not all students have.

To read more about work-study, check out this article.

Once you’ve selected which school you want to attend, look through their job portal online to find work-study jobs available to you.

Note: Again, not all students will qualify for work-study. Only those who demonstrate significant financial need based on their FAFSA will be eligible. If you are not eligible for work-study, there will still be other job opportunities you can take advantage of on or off campus.

Step 4: Examine Your Savings

Taking out private student loans is part of the average person’s college experience. But, as much as you can, you want to minimize how much you need to take. Examine your savings and see how much you can put towards paying for college.

Additionally, be smart about what you spend leading up to college. Maybe you just had a high school graduation party and received generous gifts. Instead of spending that money, consider putting it towards paying for college. (Trust me, your 22-year-old graduated self will thank you.)

Step 5: Take out Federal Student Loans

After filling out the FAFSA, you will receive a financial aid package from the schools you applied to. Within these aid packages, you may see grants and federal student loans.

Federal student loans tend to have lower interest rates and more favorable terms in comparison to private student loans. Thus, many students opt to take whatever federal loans are offered to them.

You should remember to accept federal financial aid in the following order: grants/scholarships (free money) → work-study (earned money) → loans (borrowed money)

Loans should always be accepted last after any scholarships, grants, or work-study.

Step 6: Borrow Private Student Loans

The average college student will take out private student loans to cover their remaining balance. But, private student loans should always come after federal loans as they need to be repaid and tend to have higher interest rates.

Each private loan will offer different elements that will vary in importance depending on the person. This means that there isn’t a single best private loan option; it varies by person.

Finding the best private student loan for you is a seamless process on Sparrow. Create an account, and in under 3 minutes, you can compare all your loan options in one place.

Payment Deadline Reminder

May 1st is the deadline for accepting a college’s offer for fall admission and for paying the tuition deposit to enroll.

This deadline is crucial to keep in mind because it impacts other parts of the process of paying for college. Be proactive and do things earlier than you think you may need to.

Every Summer While in College

Register and Pay for Classes

To be considered a full-time student and pay the same tuition rate, you need to make sure you enroll in classes. Try to register for classes as soon as your university will allow you to.

Before enrolling, consult with an advisor to ensure you’re taking the right classes to stay on track to graduating on time. If you plan ahead, you may be able to graduate early which would save you a lot of money in the long run.

Universities will typically send out tuition bills in July or August with the expectation that they are paid by the fall. If you have questions or concerns about when your tuition will be due, reach out to your university’s financial aid office.

Submit FAFSA for Next Year

If you’re using the FAFSA for any financial aid or loans, it will need to be resubmitted every year that you’re in college. This is because your financial situation may change from year to year, thus impacting the amount of money you qualify for.

If you submitted the FAFSA previously, you may be eligible to submit a Renewal FAFSA rather than having to fill out the entire form again. To reapply, simply log into the FAFSA portal online and click FAFSA Renewal.

Find a Job or Work-Study

If you previously qualified for work-study but haven’t accepted a position, check for opportunities for the next school year. If you didn’t qualify when you initially filled out the FAFSA, but your financial situation has changed, you should resubmit the FAFSA as you may qualify now.

If you aren’t eligible for work-study, looking for an on or off campus job may help you pay for college or manage expenses such as books or food.

After You Leave School

Review Your Loan Repayment Plan

Regardless of whether you have federal or private student loans (or both!), you’ll want to review your repayment plan options. Find one that works for you and stick with it!

This is also a good time to determine how you want to allocate funds to make payments. We recommend using the Debt Avalanche method as it is most effective, but this won’t be for everyone. Do some research on the different methods and again, find one that works for you and stick to it!

Find a Job

Most of us attend college with the hopes of finding a job we love. Of course, we hope that it can financially support us as well. You will likely start the job search before graduating, but if you haven’t, post-grad is a great time to start looking.

Use sites like LinkedIn and Indeed to find roles that both suit you and will help you pay off your loans.

Consider Refinancing Your Loans

If your interest rates seem out of this world (and not in a good way), you may want to consider refinancing. Refinancing would allow you to take out a new loan with a lower interest rate to cover all of your initial loans. If the concept of refinancing sounds overwhelming, check out our guide.

Summary

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to paying for college. You may end up with enough scholarships and grants to completely cover your college costs. Or, you may not get as much through the FAFSA as you expected, leaving you to take out more in private student loans.

Either way, there is no one solution to paying for college. This means that however you decide to pay for school, as long as it works for you, you’re making the right decision.

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