Contact your college first
The best place for information about student financial aid is the Financial Aid Office at the college your senior plans to attend. The financial aid administrator can tell you about student aid available from your state, the school itself, and other sources.

The Internet is also an incredible resource for financial aid information. Many schools have information about financial aid on their websites. You can also get free information from the U.S. Department of Education's website at www.students.gov or www.ed.gov/studentaid, including access to free publications such as Funding Your Education and The Student Guide, or from.

You can call the Department of Education Student Aid Information Center for information at 1.800.4.FED.AID (1.800.433.3243) / TTY 1.800.730.8913 or 1.319.337.5665. Hours of operation are limited to Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 12 a.m. (midnight EST) and Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. (EST).

Other general resources
You can also find free information about federal, state, institutional and private student aid in your high school counselor’s office or local library's reference section. There may be information available from foundations, religious organizations, community organizations, and civic groups, as well as organizations related to your or your student’s field of interest, such as the American Medical Association or American Bar Association. Check with your employer or unions to see if they award scholarships or have tuition payment plans.

Warning! Filling out the FAFSA and applying for student financial aid is free. You should be wary of mailings or Web sites that offer to submit your senior’s application for them, or to find money for school if you pay them a fee. Some of them are legitimate, and some are scams. But generally any information or service you pay for can be had for free from your senior’s school or from the U.S. Department of Education.

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Your search for college tuition money starts right here! You can join Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS® Program Scholarship Sweepstakes. The program offers $100,000 in college tuition prizes* to high school seniors, as well as valuable information on college preparation, testing, and financial aid in the form of electronic postcards sent directly via email. It’s the only program of its kind approved by NACAC, the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Enrollment is simple, just sign up here .

In less than five minutes, your student will be automatically entered in a program that includes:

• Critical financial aid information: A series of electronic postcards on topics ranging from scholarships to college testing to the FAFSA, all of which help you take giant steps toward planning for higher education by keeping you informed and up-to-date.
• Tuition prizes! Sign up for a chance to win a $1,000 tuition prize!

Enroll today for free information to start planning for higher education and to win free money to help get you there! Check out the current CollegeSTEPS Program winners – there might even be one from your school!

For more information from the Wells Fargo Education Financial Services library on scholarship searching and other helpful tips, visit the college planning pages of their Web site.

Other great scholarship resources
The following Web sites are a great place to search for scholarship opportunities for your student. But beware, most national contests attract a lot of applications. Take the time to search out local and regional scholarships. Check with your school career office. Many local organizations only offer scholarships at the school level.

• There's a lot of money out there waiting for you! Explore Princeton Review's section to find thousands in scholarship dollars and see if you're eligible.
• www.collegeboard.com: Sponsored by The College Board, which is a national, nonprofit membership association dedicated to preparing, inspiring, and connecting students to college and opportunity.
• www.collegenet.com: This for-profit organization has been instrumental in helping colleges and universities worldwide move out of the paper realm into the electronic. CollegeNET strongly believes that privacy and non-commercialism of personal data must be preserved. Try their key word search, as the profile section is not restrictive enough and provides over 7,000 scholarships to s