Post-Secondary Education
Content:
If you’d like to pursue college, go for it! It’s never too late. Below are the steps you’ll need to take and resources to help you along the way. Or, for a more comprehensive guide, check out the Military Children’s Scholarship Handbook.
Choose a School
Identify potential colleges or tech schools to which you’d like
to apply. Important factors to consider are programs offered, location, cost,
and school culture. Your guidance counselor or teachers may be able to suggest
some good options for you. You can contact school admissions offices with
questions or to arrange a campus tour.
You can search for schools and get general information about higher education
below:
XAP Student Center (Mentor Sites) http://www.xap.com/
Princeton Review http://www.princetonreview.com/home.asp
Peterson's College Search
http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/searches/srchCrit1.asp?path=ug.fas.college
Don’t forget about the great deals right here in Alaska. On Fort Wainwright you can take a variety of classes through the Education Center. Between UAF, Central Texas College, Embry-Riddle, and Wayland Baptist, the Ed Center offers many options.
UAF is right here in town and has excellent programs. All of the University of Alaska campuses, including UAF and UAA, offer in-state tuition and amazing exchange opportunities, where you pay in-state tuition while studying abroad.
The Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward offers a range of career-oriented programs, as does Tanana Valley Community College in Fairbanks.
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Even if
you plan to graduate from an out-of-state school, you can save a lot of money by
starting out local. Most schools allow you to transfer after your sophomore
year with no loss of credits. Just make sure the courses you take here will be
transferable to your terminal program.
Apply for Admission Once you select
your schools, begin the application process asap. You can ask
for letters of recommendation from you teachers, counselors, or employers. You
can ask your teachers for help on any essays that are required. You can
register to take the SAT/ACT tests on
collegeboard.com.
The Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District offers a SAT prep course each
spring at Lathrop High School. Call the Lathrop Counseling office for more
information.
Just for fun, try the
SAT Question of the Day.
Get Financial Aid Most schools use the
FAFSA to determine what financial aid you will be offered. Fill out the
FAFSA online or using the booklet to apply for federal student loans and
grants. The deadline for Alaska is April 15. Check with individual schools for
their deadlines.
Scholarship Information In
addition to federal aid, there are tons of scholarships out there. Many are
available only to military dependents. Information about additional
scholarships is available in the YESS office, 4391 Neely, and online.
Scholarship Search Sites
Peterson’s Undergraduate Scholarship Search http://www.petersons.com/finaid/file.asp?id=806&sponsor=1&path=ug.pfs.scholarships
College Board Scholarship Search http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp
CollegeNet Mach25 Scholarship Database
Federal and State ProgramsStudent Aid on the Web http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
Student Guide to Financial Aid http://www.ed.gov
AlaskaAdvantage Loan and Grant Programs http://alaskadvantage.state.ak.us/
Student aid information from other Federal Agencies http://www.students.gov
EScholar apprenticeships, cooperative, fellowships, grants, internships, and scholarships http://www.studentjobs.gov/e-scholar.asp
Scholarships for Military Dependents and Federal Employees
ThanksUSA http://www.thanksusa.org/main/index.html
Military.com Scholarship finder http://aid.military.com/scholarship/search-for-scholarships.do
Commissary Scholarships for Military Children http://www.militaryscholar.org/
Homefront America http://www.homefrontamerica.org/
Military Officers Association Educational Assistance Programs http://www.moaa.org/quicklist/serv_education/index.htm
Army Emergency Relief scholarships http://www.aerhq.org/education.asp
Severely Injured Service Member and Spouse Scholarship Opportunities http://www.dantes.doded.mil/sfd/participantSearch.asp?param=school
Federal Employee Education Assistance Fund http://www.feea.org/scholarships.html
ROTC Other Scholarship ResourcesHuge resource list https://scholendow.ais.msu.edu/student/ScholSearch.Asp?
Learn and Serve America http://www.learnandserve.gov/home/site_map/index.asp
Hispanic Scholarship Fund http://www.hsf.net/
Hispanic College Fund http://site.hispanicfund.org/
United Negro College Fund Scholarship programs http://www.uncf.org
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