The prospect of funding a college education is extremely daunting to all but the extremely wealthy. Since most of us don't fall into that income category, financial aid is out there. That being said, while the term financial aid gets thrown around in the college talk, it can be hard to decipher the different types of financial aid or to know how to find and acquire financial aid for college.

In order to answer some of these questions, we have the Unity Scholarship Newsletter, and many financial aid resources linked below. While all of these are great, make sure to contact and work closely with your prospective college's financial aid office; it will have even more resources for you.

Financial Aid Glossary

Myths and Realities About Paying for College

Basic Facts About College Prices and Student Aid

Recommended Websites, Books, and Brochures

Financial Aid & Scholarship Websites
FAFSA Online
The official Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website. Accept no imposter! Here you can learn more about student aid and fill out your yearly FAFSA form.

FinAid!
This site provides scholarship searches based on your personal profile, financial aid calculators and definitions of different types of student aid.

FastWeb
This site allows users to build a personal profile and search for colleges and scholarships that match their individual characteristics and needs.

Scholarships.com
Much like FastWeb, this site allows users to build a personal profile and search for scholarships that match their individual characteristics and needs.

CollegeZONE
This site through the Illinois Student Assistance Commission not only provides information about financial aid, financial aid calculators, and so much more, it also houses a ParentZONE that is customized for college planning at different stages in a child's life and a StudentZONE focused on a prospective college student's planning needs.

College Answer
This site provides students with a guide for preparing for, selecting, applying to, paying for, deciding on and financing college. It also provides a parent guide for some of the financial aspects as well.

Careers and Colleges
This site works to help students choose a college, apply, look for financing options and even explore careers.

CollegeNET
This site contains a college search function, financial aid resources, online application help and other college resources.

Universal Technical Institute Scholarship Opportunities List
This list of scholarships was provided by a representative of UTI. Some of the dates are expired, but many of these scholarships are offered each year. If you see one that interests you or that you may be qualified for, check out the website listed or contact the source to find out if it is being offered this year.

Scholarship Websites for Specific Populations
The Hispanic College Fund (HCF)
HCF was founded on the belief that "the Hispanic community is a family, and each member, whether individual, business or organization, shoulders responsibility to help the community thrive to its full potential." At the HCF website, students can find information on scholarships specifically for Hispanic college students.

Jackie Robinson Foundation
The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a "public, not-for-profit, national organization that award four-year college scholarships to academically gifted students of color with financial need, enabling them to attend a four-year college of their choice."

Marine Scholars
This website has information on scholarships for the children of Marines, with special consideration to those whose Marine parent died in active duty.

United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
UNCF is a minority higher education assistance organization. Their website provides information on member colleges, scholarships, careers and more.

YOUR PROSPECTIVE COLLEGE IS A RESOURCE, TOO!!
Contact the financial aid office for your prospective school(s) and learn how they can help you plan for financing college.