Department of Education Office of Student Financial Aid's "Only A Dream" Early Awareness Campaign
"Only a Dream" is a nationwide public service campaign sponsored by Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education. The campaign includes TV, Radio, and print public service announcements (PSAs) highlighting Federal Student Aid's core mission—to ensure that all eligible individuals benefit from financial assistance for education beyond high school and to champion the value of postsecondary education. Each year, Federal Student aid awards more than $80 billion in grants, work-study and low-interest loans to help finance the dreams of tomorrow's leaders.

To view all the "Only a Dream" public service announcements, click here.

American Council on Education's KnowHow2Go Public Service Campaign
The KnowHow2Go campaign is aimed at encouraging and preparing more low-income and first-generation students to actively pursue higher education. The campaign advocates four steps that young people should take to prepare for college and communicates these steps through exciting multi-media formats. The campaign developed television and radio public service ads, outdoor billboards, posters, print ads, a national web site (knowhow2go.org), educational brochures, template documents to use to promote events, a national 1-800 number (1-800-433-3243), and how-to guides to support local outreach efforts. Most of these resources are available in English and Spanish.

The success of this campaign requires effective local participation. Individuals are asked to collaborate with education organizations, youth-oriented groups, local colleges and universities, businesses, churches, synagogues, mosques, and others to amplify the impact of this campaign.

Click here for more information about the campaign and how you can become involved.

National College Access Program Directory
This national directory of college access programs is a free online resource for students, parents, counselors, and researchers and those operating college access programs. The site allows users to search for programs in their area or by services provided. The site also allows users to add programs that are not currently in the directory.

Click here to visit the National College Access Program Directory.

College Is Possible
The Coalition of America's Colleges and Universities sponsors the "College Is Possible" campaign, a nationwide effort to reach students and families with timely information on how they can prepare for postsecondary education and their options for financial and academic aid.

While the value of a college education may be known to many, the cost of going to college can easily discourage parents and students from pursuing a degree. Many families overestimate the cost of college, and they are often unaware that there is approximately $129 billion in aid available every year. Most media reports on college costs tend to focus on the most expensive schools. However, there are over 3,000 colleges and additional thousands of trade and technical schools offering an excellent and affordable education, particularly when financial aid is considered.

The resources addressed in the College Is Possible campaign are three-fold: preparing for college, choosing a college, and paying for it. Some of the resources are listed below, assembled from the recommendations of admissions and financial aid professionals, as well as others in higher education. It should be noted that inclusion in this list does not constitute a formal endorsement of any particular product or service. Also, there may be shipping and delivery charges associated with some of the items.

More information can be found by visiting the College Is Possible Web site at http://www.CollegeIsPossible.org or by calling the U.S. Department of Education's special toll-free hotline for college information: 800-433-3243 (800-4-FED AID).

Preparing for College

Preparing for Your Education
This Web site is provided by the Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid. It provides details about what students need to do to prepare for education beyond high school.

Planning Ahead
The College Board's Web site features Going Right On (GRO), an interactive multimedia program to encourage 7th, 8th, and 9th graders to start thinking about going to college. The page also includes links to articles of interest to middle-school students and their parents.

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
The Web site of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators features the booklet Cash for College. Single printed copies are available at no charge, while bulk quantities may be purchased by filling out and submitting the form at http://www.nasfaa.org/AnnualPubs/Cashform.pdf, or by calling 202-785-0453 ext. 156.

The National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC)
NACAC has created a Prep for College Calendar to help prepare students for college.

Sallie Mae
Sallie Mae's College Answer Web site (formerly known as Wiredscholar) features information on preparing for college, including interactive calculators to help families analyze the affordability of schools, compare financial aid award letters, and search for scholarships.

Preparing Your Child for College: A Resource Book for Parents
This popular U.S. Department of Education book is available on-line only.

The 2001 Outreach Program Handbook
Packed with over 1,000 programs to help low-income students prepare for college, the College Board's 2001 Outreach Program Handbook is the largest collection of pre-college outreach program information ever published. Entries provide complete descriptions of the outreach program, program location, targeted students, and complete contact information including e-mail addresses and Web sites. Perfect for middle and high schools, libraries, teachers, counselors, and youth service organizations. The price is $24.95. To order by phone, call 212-713-8165 and provide the six digit item number (006623).

Think College
This U.S. Department of Education Web site at http://www.ed.gov/thinkcollege has special sections for parents whose children have not yet entered high school, high school-age youth and their parents, and adults seeking to return to school.

Choosing the Right College

Peterson's College Bound
The Peterson's College Bound Web site (http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel) allows users to search for the college program that best suits a student's needs, and provides them with information on admissions, writing admissions essays, test preparation, and financial aid.

College Board
A free college search program as well as admissions and financial aid information are available at the College Board Web site.

SAT and Standardized Test Information
Information and registration for the SAT, PSAT, AP, and CLEP tests may be obtained from the College Board Web site.

ACT Assessment
Information and registration for the American College Testing (ACT) assessment is available on-line.

AACC's Community College Finder
The American Association of Community Colleges has created a Community College Finder Web site to help students locate the best community college to fit their needs.

Paying for College

Financial Aid for Students
Probably the best starting point for information on federal student financial aid is this U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid (FSA) Web site at http://studentaid.ed.gov. It includes links to information on grant, loan, and work-study options; the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); and many other issues pertaining to applying for, obtaining, and managing funds to pay for higher education.

The U.S. Department of Education's Student Guide
This Web site provides the comprehensive 2005-2006 Student Guide (in PDF) to the federal government's financial aid programs is available for free from the U.S. Department of Education, or by calling 800-4FED-AID (800-433-3243). A 2005-2006 Spanish version is also available.

NASFAA's Cash for College
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) provides a concise Cash for College booklet review the financial aid application and award process. Single printed copies are available at no charge, while bulk quantities may be purchased at http://www.nasfaa.org/AnnualPubs/Cashform.pdf or by calling 202-785-0453 ext. 156.

NACAC's Applying for Financial Aid in 7 Easy Steps
A free copy of this publication is available from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. To order, fill out a NACAC publications order form, call 703-836-2222 or write NACAC, 1631 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2818.

Need a Lift? College Financial Aid Handbook
The American Legion publishes this financial aid handbook. Available for $3.95 from: Need a Lift?, National Emblem Sales, PO Box 1050, Indianapolis, IN 46206, or by calling 888-453-4466.

"Don't Miss Out: The Ambitious Student's Guide to Financial Aid"
The "Don't Miss Out" book may be purchased for $12 from Octameron Associates, or by calling 703-836-5480.

The Parent's Guide to Paying for College
This College Board book is available for $14.95 and may be ordered by calling 800-323-7155 and referencing item number (006046).

College Scholarship Service Financial Aid PROFILE
The PROFILE financial aid application is required by many private colleges. The Web version is available at http://profileonline.collegeboard.com or by calling 305-829-9793.

The Financial Aid Information Page
This one-stop shopping Web site at http://www.finaid.org, affiliated with FastWeb, provides information on all aspects of financial aid and links to many other sites.

FastWeb
One of several free scholarship search services on the Web, FastWeb at http://www.fastweb.com features 600,000 listings of private scholarships.