No longer is the image of a recent graduate swimming in debt acceptable. Just ask the government officials who have lobbied for universities to replace more loans with scholarships and who have helped to promote an increase in grant aid. Even though the government is pushing this debt-reduction agenda doesn’t mean you should count on affordable tuitions heading your way anytime soon. Whether you’re planning to study the arts, get an associate’s degree, learn a trade or go to graduate school, these online sites can help you scour the enormous sums of free aid waiting to be claimed by you.

CollegeBoard

Anyone familiar with the SATs or AP exams already knows about the College Board. If you use the College Board to manage your test dates and application process, then jumping over to the “Pay for College” tab should be a cinch. Even if you’re not already registered, it is one of the rare sites which allow you to jump into your search without completing a long registration process. Just answer a few simple questions and you can start without having to sign in and register later to refine your search.

FastWeb

Considered the most comprehensive and most popular resource for scholarships, FastWeb has a number of features including designating favorites, adding notes and searching by upcoming deadlines and receiving email notifications of new matches. Like most of its other competitors, FastWeb has an extensive registration process requiring you to input your GPA, intended major(s), and colleges you’re considering among other things.

Peterson’s

This site is the online version of Peterson’s Scholarships, Grants and Prizes book and has extensive listings. You will need to complete registration in order to begin your search. Along with the scholarship search, the site also offers online courses and a college planning tool. 

Scholarships.com

The results of this search are comprehensive, yet not very well edited. This could be a good thing for someone starting their search early. Since it does not weed out scholarships with expired deadlines in the results, a student can take note of those deadlines for the following year.

Department of Education

This site allows you to search by keyword to easily browse through its listings or build a profile to get matched with scholarships. Although it provides a disclaimer that many of the scholarships are awarded to those attending a particular college, there is still a large number of non school-specific listings. The department of education can also link you to your FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid). Its “financial aid wizard” tool helps you estimate and manage college costs.

Although online sites are extremely comprehensive and provide a wealth of resources, always check with local organizations like churches and clubs as well as with your high school or college counselor to make sure you have all your bases covered.

Do you have a scholarship success story? Share how you landed a scholarship and grant in the comments below!