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Office Locations
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Office Locations
Washington D.C. Office
2264 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515Cullman District Office
205 Fourth Ave. NE, Ste 104
Cullman, AL 35055Serving Cullman, Blount, Morgan and Marshall (City of Arab) Counties
Decatur District Office
Morgan County Courthouse
Post Office Box 668
Decatur, AL 35602Serving Morgan County
Gadsden District Office
107 Federal Building
600 Broad Street
Gadsden, AL 35901Serving Etowah, DeKalb, Marshall (Excluding Arab) and St. Clair Counties
Jasper District Office
247 Carl Elliott Building
1710 Alabama Avenue
Jasper, AL 35501Serving Walker, Winston, Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens and Franklin Counties
Student Aid and Where It Comes From
Basic assistance categories:
- Financial need-based. Remember that students and their parents are responsible for paying what they can - financial aid is a supplement, not a substitute, for family resources.
- Non need-based. Factors include academic excellence, ethnic background, or organization membership. Corporations may also offer assistance to employees and children.
Federal Student Aid:
- Provides nearly 70% of student aid under Loans, Grants and Work/study programs.
- Available to all need-based applicants; some loans and competitive scholarships for non need-based.
- Free information from the United States Department of Education:
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Loans are the most common federal aid and must be repaid when you graduate or leave college.
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Stafford Loans include:
- Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL)
- William D. Ford Direct Loans (DL)
- Federal PLUS Loans parental loans, not need-based.
- Perkins Loans for the most needy undergraduates; through participating schools.
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Stafford Loans include:
- Scholarships/grants are mostly need-based and require no repayment:
- Other grants, scholarships, and fellowships, mostly graduate level: search the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
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"Congressional" scholarships:
- Named for Member of Congress or other prominent individual (such as Byrd Honors Scholarships, Fulbright fellowships)
- Merit-based and highly competitive
- Members of Congress do not play a role in selecting recipients
- Search by Beneficiary in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
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Work study programs allow you to earn money while in school:
- Federal Work Study Program: college campus jobs
- Student Educational Employment: jobs with the federal government
- For questions not covered by the Department of Education Web site, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.
States offer residents a variety of scholarships, loans, and tuition exemptions.
- Check with your state higher education agency and guarantee agency.
- Consider prepaid tuition and college savings ("Section 529") plans: College Savings Plans Network.
- Search your Internet browser under terms such as student financial aid or assistance AND your state.
Colleges and universities provide some 20% of aid, most need-based. Check university Web sites and the institution's financial aid office when you apply for admission.
Private foundations, corporations, and organizations offer scholarships or grants:
Scholarship Search
FastWeb
Free Scholarship Search
Grants for Individuals
Express Express
Scholarship Search
FastWeb
Free Scholarship Search
Grants for Individuals
Express Express