7 Steps Towards Choosing The Perfect College
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1) Talk to your school counselor - School counselors can help you focus on your goals and personal needs, and more importantly, they have credible information regarding different types of schools.

2) Skim through schools - Contact more than one school. More options entails better flexibility.

3) Visit the school - Contact the school and schedule a tour of the campus. It is important for a potential student to feel comfortable in his/her future environment, if ever he/she decides to push through with that school.

4) Ask questions - Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask the school about their retention and graduate rates. It will give you a better idea of the quality of education that is available in that school.

5) Check the cost - Make sure that the school will provide a detailed list of its tuition and fees. This will help you gain control over your finances and will enable you to assess your total educational cost.

6) Call these numbers - Contact the nearest Better Business Bureau, state higher education agency, or consumer protection division of your state attorney general’s office in order to find out whether there have been any complaints about the school. You can also contact the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Information Center (1-800-4-FED-AID) if you have any questions about your financial aid at the school you're interested in.

7) Inspector General’s Hotline - If you suspect fraud, waste, or abuse involving federal student aid in a particular school, call the Inspector General’s Hotline at 1-800-MIS-USED.

With so many schools to choose from, finding the perfect one for you could take a really long and enduring time. With the services offered by the Federal Student Aid, perhaps the process will become more bearable and much more rewarding.

To know more about the services offered by the Federal Student Aid, visit their official website at http://studentaid.ed.gov.


7 Steps Towards Choosing The Perfect College
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About The Author Michael Saunders is an editor of TopGovernmentGrants.com one the the most comprehensive Websites offering information on government grants and federal government programs. He also maintains Websites providing resources on environmental grants and grants for youth programs.

Additional Resources

category - Education Grants

National Science Foundation announces the Cyberlearning: Transforming Education Program
The Cyberlearning: Transforming Education is a program wherein the NSF will provide funding for research proposals that aim to explore opportunities associated with the promotion and assessment of learning techniques through the help of new technologies, taking advantage of the application of those technologies, and the utilization of those technologies in the process of promoting deep and lasting learning of content, practices, skills, attitudes, and dispositions that are essential in becoming an engaged and productive citizen.

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Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program
In keeping with this mission, the National Institutes of Food and Agriculture has recently established the Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program in an attempt to conduct agricultural research studies that address high priority concerns of tribal, national, or multistate significance.

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Pell Grants - Help with Financing Your Education
The Federal Pell Grant Program is overseen by the Department of Education and falls under the Federal Student Aid Information Center. In order to be eligible students must be enrolled in eligible schools that may be public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education.

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Financial Aid for Students - The Role of the Federal Student Aid Office
The Federal Student Aid Office makes sure that eligible students get to benefit from financial assistance to complete an education beyond high school. The Office plays a vital role in the entire financial aid process and has an active role in ensuring that students have access to all the information they need when requesting federal assistance to attend college.

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