It’s been found recently that the number of college students who aren’t able to contribute to their tuition is growing rapidly. With more adult students than ever before attending college while having families, independent students are in need of a great deal of financial aid and often can’t contribute to their own education.

This is scary! How many students will be forced to drop out of college due to lack of funding? Jobs are scarce, the economy is down, and things have gotten worse and worse since 2008. Wealthier colleges are assisting all the needy students they can. Other colleges are going broke because they have to provide financial aid to more students.

In the global sense, our efforts to get ahead educationally is threatened by the lack of funding and help for students. They will end up being denied the opportunity for a higher education not because of lack of ability but because of financial need.

So what are some solutions for some of the nation’s needier students? Of course there are several, but some of the most successful ways are also the most difficult and require a lot of extra work. Let’s go over some ways to raise money for college students, and ways to earn scholarships and find out about your college’s merit and other grant programs.

ChipIn.com

This is one of several fundraising web sites online that allow people to create a cause and raise money for it. You can also sell small things like trinkets with this site, like another college student did. She’s raising money for college because she isn’t eligible for financial aid. By utilizing this web site, a student (or a non-profit, or whoever) is able to raise funds for their cause and collect through donations.

Work Your Way Through

Obviously this works better in an economy that has more jobs. But these days, you can make money over the internet doing virtually anything. Even if you don’t have that much experience online, work is available… all it takes is some research and figuring out what you’re good at that you can do online. For some its affiliate marketing, for some it’s freelance writing or design… but if you have a skill that can be used to provide a service long-distance, then freelancing could be a viable option for you.

You could also go try to find a part-time job at a local business or store or restaurant… but honestly, that may or may not work, especially depending on where you live. If you’re a rural student online then the possibilities are pretty slim.

Win Scholarships

This, of course, is an excellent way to help pay for college. Winning scholarships is free, requires some effort but not too much, and there are a whole bunch of them that you can apply for. Sites such as Cappex and Zinch specialize in matching students and scholarships, so it’s becoming easier and easier to apply for and win scholarships on a regular basis. Some of them are smaller, some of them larger, but many of them are achievable by many people. Some companies even have a weekly scholarship.

The days of gliding by are gone. If you’re like me and your financial aid runs out, you have to begin considering these other options. My financial aid will be gone as of June… I will have no choice but to win scholarships or pay out-of-pocket.

The last – and least desirable option:

Private Loans

The problem with private loans is that interest is often not fixed, so you could end up paying back twice what you owe, sometimes even more. If you get a loan with a co-signer, your co-signer will then take responsibility if you can’t. I really prefer not to use this option… which is why I’m so grateful to be able to apply for scholarships as well as have my parents’ help when needed.

Unfortunately, a lot of other independent students don’t have the option to fall back on their parents.

That’s why scholarships are so important. For me, a thousand dollars pays for my tuition and books for a class. If I consistently apply for scholarships on a weekly basis, there’s a good chance that I’ll be able to win enough to pay for college. My education is important to me… I don’t want to have to miss out on it because of a lack of funding. Working hard to accomplish this will be more than worth it.