General: What is financial aid?

Financial aid is any grant, scholarship, loan, or work-study award offered to help you meet education-related expenses. Such aid is usually provided by or through the school, federal and state agencies, foundations or corporations, and other entities.

• Merit scholarships, based on individual talent and achievement, are available from state, federal, and private programs and usually do not require repayment
• Need-based scholarships, awarded on financial aid eligibility, come from the individual school you will be attending (and require additional forms to be completed) and state and federal funds and do not require repayment
• Loans from state, federal, and private programs (must be repaid)