College financing is a quagmire right now. Those who are indebted are part of a $1 trillion tab that grows daily. Yet those entering college can still graduate debt free.

Every year, a parent asks me about how college financing can work in their favor. I believe that only in rare circumstances should one go deep into debt to finance a degree. Community and commuter colleges are one primary route. Scholarships and grants are another.

“The fact is, 1.7 million private scholarships and fellowships are available, estimated at more than $7.4 billion,” according to James Lewis, president of National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), based in Atlanta . “Unfortunately, too much of this sum is left on the table because students don’t think they qualify or simply don’t know these scholarships are available.”

PROMOTED

I asked Lewis how more students can obtain these grants, which don’t have to be paid back. He suggested the following:

·  Research, research, research. Most parents and students don't realize the breadth of scholarships available, regardless of academic merit, annual income, and more.

·  Don't assume you're not eligible. Countless private scholarships are available for athletics, minorities, STEM & STEAM, community service, music, and those from government and large corporations. And there are off-beat ones: Tall Clubs International offers financial aid to women taller than 5-foot-10 and men taller than 6-foot-2.

·  Do it right. National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) has a Your First Scholarship available to students who have not yet applied for or won one, and it walks applicants through the process. It also comes with "toolbox" for students to use in all their future applications. It stresses that there is no room for error – spelling and proper grammar are non-negotiable.

·  Apply early and often. Looking for a private scholarship requires research and time, so start early, even before senior year in high school, to kick-start the process of identifying and applying for scholarships. Most students don’t know that once they are in college they can continue to apply for grants and scholarships to help pay for sophomore, junior, and senior years as well.

To these tips, I would add that you need to search locally and nationally for scholarships. Community service clubs offer scholarships through local chapters and national offices. Both of my daughters received them.

While some scholarships may require essays, many do not. The variety of options is immense — from Burger King to underrepresented students. The key is to research and send out as many applications as you can, preferably when you know which colleges are on the top of your list.

Keep in mind that colleges rarely tell you all of the grant opportunities they offer internally. You have to press hard to find out. Don’t be shy about telling a preferred college that other aid offers are on the table from other institutions.

The internet is always a great place to start. There are several search engines that specialize in grants. Also keep in mind that above-average students automatically qualify for scholarships at most schools, often under the title of “Presidential Scholar” programs. And don’t forget that local businesses and chambers of commerce usually offer some kind of scholarships. But you need to apply for them.

Even if you’ve chosen a school, don’t think that all of your options are exhausted when your college of choice makes a financial aid “offer,” which often includes loans, which you don’t have to accept. Ask them if they have work-study or grant programs to avoid debt. Then do your own homework. It will pay off.

College financing is something that will impact the rest of your life, so regard it as a shrewd personal business decision. Be smart and tough. Negotiate!

By John F. Wasik

May 1 is an exciting day for many high school seniors. It's decision day, when students commit to college and send in those deposits to hold their spot on campus.
Across the country, schools celebrate the achievement in different ways. Some hold assemblies where students get up and announce their decisions. In other places, students wear their college gear a T-shirt or ball cap or sweatshirt.

Walk down any high school hallway or sit in a college adviser's office and you'll likely hear a chorus of "Where are you going next year? What's your school choice? Where are you going?"

That's what I hear in an adviser's office at McKinley Tech High School in Washington, D.C. The room is abuzz with activity. Students are filling out scholarship prompts, trying to access their financial award letters to inform last minute decisions and announcing their final college choice to anyone who asks.

Alexis Liggins, a senior, is hunched over her laptop, putting the final touches on a scholarship application due tomorrow. She's committed to Florida A&M University  a highly ranked public, historically black university in Tallahassee, Fla and she's planning to major in biology. When she visited the campus earlier this year, she said she just knew.

"It was a nurturing environment when we went," she explains. "It was like a big family." Later this week, she'll get up in front of her peers and say her school choice out loud.

The relief of finally deciding is palpable in this room, but it doesn't mean all the anxiety is gone. For many, here and across the country, there are still a number of questions. The biggest: Can I actually afford to go?

"I kind of like the idea that there's glorification of the academic. I think that's awesome," says Lindsay Page, an education professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She studies college access and says she's glad high schools have moved away from only celebrating sports. But decision day can be a bit misleading especially for low-income students.

"We know that plenty of students can look like they have it all together at the end of high school, and lots of those students don't successfully make the transition."

In some places, nearly 40 percent of high school seniors never make it to campus in the fall, according to research Page has worked on.

In so many cases, it relates back to money.

"Oftentimes there's a big gap in between what students and their families are able to pay and what is their unmet need, basically what's left in their bill that they're supposed to make up," Page says.

Alexis, the student who committed to Florida A&M, says she didn't get as much financial aid as she had hoped for, and she has to come up with about $20,000 per year.

She knows that $20,000 is a big number and that over four years, that net cost is actually $80,000. But she's determined that come August, she'll be soaking up that warm weather in Tallahassee.

"I'm still gonna go," she explains. Her plan is to apply for as many outside scholarships as possible.

"Every single day," she says. "During class, during lunch. During my sleep time that I wish I get."

She says she'll work her grocery store job all summer and see if she can transfer — or find a new job — when she moves to Florida in the fall.

by A Johnson/NPR Tags high school, low income, college financial aid