Find help to finance college, apply for FAFSA

Going to college is very expensive for many people. However, the government provides options for financial aid so that you or your kids can go to college and become professionals. Below are some types of help and how you can start the process of requesting help.
The Department of Education of the United States provides federal help for students around the country. Every year they give 150 billion dollars distributed in the following categories:
• Federal scholarships that are given according to the income of each candidate. These are not student loans.
• Low-interest student loans that begin repayment once the student finishes school.
• Work-study scholarships that provide students with the opportunity to work in their professional field earning some income to pay for their studies. In many of these scholarships, the work is part-time.

How to apply for federal financial aid?
• Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is already available for the next school year.
• Use the FAFSA4caster to obtain an estimate on the financial aid you may be able to receive.

Present your information as soon as possible because the financial aid funds are limited. Apart from filling out some financial information, such as your income and bank account information, you also have to meet certain requirements:
• Be a citizen of the United States or a resident of the United States who can participate in federal programs for student aid.
• Have a valid social security number.
• Have a High School diploma or a GED.
• You may not be paying back other
student loans.

Remember to pay attention to the deadlines; the deadline for online application is at midnight central time on June 30th, 2015. Any other additions or corrections you have may be done by midnight on September 19th, 2015 central time. Visit www.fafsa.ed.gov
Mercedes Amaya, representative of financial AID at Miami Dade College, said that her organization is holding workshops where they motivate and help students to apply through FAFSA. The workshops give students the necessary tools to fill out their application with college representatives. Miami Dade College is also visiting local area high schools to encourage students to fill out their FAFSA forms and also applications to different programs that offer financial aid to Hispanic students enrolled in their last year of high school.

Mercedes Amaya encourages students and everybody else who is interested in continuing their education and qualifies for financial aid to apply: “Don’t wait until you are out of high school- you can start the application process now. Don’t wait to see which school accepts your application.” She also suggested calling or looking at different colleges’ websites to find out what kind of scholarships and majors they offer.