Finding Financial Aid and Scholarships

Attending college can be an exciting and enriching experience. It can also be a costly one, from tuition and books to health insurance and transportation. A combination of financial aid and other outside funding resources can help you meet college costs.

The first step for most students seeking funding for college is the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You can complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov, but pay attention to deadlines. In Washington state, complete the application as soon as possible after January 1.

The DO-IT publication College Funding for Students with Disabilities includes information on federal aid programs, Social Security Income, and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation services, along with loans, grants, and scholarships. You can find it online at College Funding for Students with Disabilities.

For scholarship information you can brows by disability type, try the DO-IT Scholarships web page at Scholarships. Below are a few free online resources you might with to explore:

• FastWeb (www.fastweb.com) has a scholarship matching service.
• theWashBoard.org (washboard.wsac.wa.gov/login.aspx) connects Washington students with Washington scholarships.
• Scholarship Junkies (www.scholarshipjunkies.org/) connects scholarship-winning students with scholarship applicants in order to help students learn how to best articulate their talents, skills, and life stories through their own personal scholarship application process.