Orange Road: Government Financial Aid

Let me get right to the thing I think you are thinking about federal student aid, I bet you DO qualify financially. I thought that our family made too much money (heck, we're not wealthy, but we are certainly not living in poverty), when in fact I qualified for a Pell Grant - FREE Money!

This may seem like the obvious starting point to going back to school, but I didn't know how to apply. I suppose I just assumed I would qualify for any kind of financial aid, especially the kind that doesn't have to be paid back. The fact of the matter is there is TONS of money out there for the taking.

Visit FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) here. When I first googled FAFSA I got a site that looked legit and I went through the whole process (took almost an hour and you do need info from your tax returns - last two years) and at the end there was a request for my credit card to pay $70 to review and submit the application. I thought that was weird for Free Application for Federal Student Aid - turns out it is a company that reviews applications - I was on the wrong site. It was free and between FAFSA and the financial aid office at your school, you will have all the help you need. You can get to the correct site by clicking my link above or you can type in www.fafsa.ed.gov.