Government Resources for College

Online Resources for College Students

Federal Resources:

Benefits.gov, https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/: Benefits.gov has information relating to Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program and provides scholarships to full-time, financially needy students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are enrolled in health professions and nursing programs.

Grants.gov, www.grants.gov: Visit Grants.gov to find possible funding opportunities for your education. Grants.gov provides a centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply for federal funding opportunities.

National Center for Education Statistics, College Navigator: Perspective students looking for statistical data to assisting with the decision making process would benefit from using College Navigator. College Navigator offers the latest data from the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the core post-secondary education data collection program for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to help perspective students make the most informed decisions possible. The Department of Education has a nice little blog post on the benefits of College Navigator.

National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS: IPEDS provides statistical data for colleges and universities. You can search for a particular school or compare programs by enrollment, awards, graduation rates, retention rates, or financial aid. IPEDS also offers loan counseling and career planning.

U.S. Department of Education, Ed.Gov – This website has information and resources for parents, families, teachers, and young adults.   You can find out the current issues in education by reading their blog; learn about getting money for college; and learn about colleges to find out which one has the degree you want and how to apply.

  • Grants Overview: U.S. Department of Education also provides an overview on discretionary grants, Pell grants, and formula grants (i.e. eligibility, deadlines, etc).

U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: The office of Federal Student Aid provides grants, loans, and work-study funds for college or career school. Federal Student Aid provides an overview of the different types of aid, how to apply, and tips for repaying loans.

  • Aid for Military Families: Federal Student Aid also features resources for and contact information for finding college scholarships for military families.

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard: College Scorecard allows you to compare schools/universities to help determine the best fit for you. You can identify programs with high graduation rates, programs that lead to high incomes, low cost schools, or search by state two year programs that offer higher salaries upon graduation. If you know you want to attend college, but are uncertain of the school or program you wish to pursue, check out College Scorecard.

USA Study Abroad, https://studyabroad.state.gov/us-government-scholarships-and-programs: The U.S. Department of State provides funds and other programming to help both U.S. and foreign institutions improve their capacity to host study abroad programs, and enable K-12 students, university students, educators, and scholars to conduct research, work, or study abroad.

USA.gov, College and Higher Education: The site was created to provide answers to common questions about colleges and universities. At USA.gov, you can find the college that best fits your needs, estimate the cost/payment for school, learn about health and safety at college, learn about educational programs for people with disabilities, file education related complaints, or locate school records.

  • Military Onesource, College Scholarships: Scholarship opportunity, and information on how to apply, for military children.

Youth.gov, https://youth.gov/shared-resources/college-scholarships: Youth.gov features scholarship information and other resources for students, including an instant GPA calculator, contact information for colleges in the United States, a list of colleges that offer comprehensive programs for students with learning disabilities, lists of Christian, Catholic, and woman’s colleges, a list of HBCU’s, and links to more than 2,500 career schools, online degree programs, and colleges.

State Resources:

Indiana Commission for Higher Educationhttps://www.in.gov/che/: Commission provides reports and resources to assist individuals in selecting and paying for college. Below are some helpful links that can be found on their site:

  • 21st Century Scholars, https://learnmoreindiana.org/scholars/: Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars program provides up to four years of undergraduate tuition* to income-eligible students at participating colleges or universities in Indiana, as well as step-by-step guidance and support to make sure they succeed in college and receive support to finish their degree.
  • Learn More Indiana, https://learnmoreindiana.org/: Learn More Indiana is a partnership of state and local organizations working to help Hoosiers of all ages complete education and training beyond high school. Learn More Indiana can assist any student or parent who wants to learn more about the process of preparing for college, succeeding once in college, and how to pay for it all.
  • ScholarTrack, https://scholartrack.che.in.gov/: ScholarTrack serves as Indiana’s one-stop shop for all state financial aid information. Students can apply for state financial aid, apply for the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship, the status of your FAFSA, complete your Scholar Success Program activities, and so much more. Registration is required, and any incoming student who have military benefits awarded to them will also need to register.
  • Tuition and Fee Exemption – Children of Disabled Veterans: The Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Disabled Veterans provides up to 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees for up to 124 semester credit-hours at Indiana public colleges and universities at the undergraduate resident tuition rate.