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College, Distance Learning, and Financial Aid Links
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 There are many alternatives to traditional college, including work in the trades (construction, machining, etc.) and the military. There are also ways of earning a bachelor's degree that don't involve years away from home, massive debt, and other unpleasantries.
Your students may be able to earn college credits during high school. They can even study at the college level right from their own computers! Getting a jump start on college is one of the best things you can help your students do-- our boys started earning credits as early as 14 (and I wrote the book on it!), and I have met other homeschoolers who've begun even younger. Why not? |
Princeton Review
An outstanding site, offering searchable college databases with detailed
information on accredited schools.
Education
Index
A gazillion or so links to education resources for every stage in life.
Nicely done.
Adult Student Resources
This site has a lot of good information and links for the non-traditional
student.
Back to College
More information for non-traditional students. An excellent site with
articles, discussion forums, and more.
Free Scholarship
Search
In addition to lots of financial aid information, this site offers a good
article for non-traditional students.
FastWeb
This free, high-quality scholarship search site now offers college searches
also. You'll be amazed at how many scholarships this free service discovers for you!
Portfolio Library
A portfolio is useful for non-traditional students who wish to document
achievements, and it can also be helpful in a job search. This extremely
useful site offers instructions and samples.
Used Textbooks & College Textbooks
CampusBooks.com offers used textbooks and college textbooks price comparisons
and shopping.
SAT Preparation
Jacob Richman has developed this site with over 3,000 multiple choice questions divided into
21 groups. There is also a database browser to review and
print the questions and the correct answers.
Distance education degree programs
There are far too many distance learning programs to list here. Be sure to see the Doing College Your Way page for some listings of searchable directories that can help you find the right program.
Distance Education and Training Council
A source for general information on the subject.
Excelsior College (formerly Regents College)
One of the oldest non-residency degree programs. It was begun as part
of the New York University system, and has continued to expand its degree
offerings.
Thomas Edison State College
An accredited, residency-free college.
Charter Oak State College
COSC offers an attractive array of short or no-residency degree programs.
Financial Aid
FAFSA
FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is the
application you must fill out in order to receive financial aid, and this
official government site offers all you need to fill it out and submit
it online. Very convenient, and essential to the financial aid process.
Note that the official application is FREE, and don't be fooled by other
sites that charge a fee for simply filling out the application.
Money
for College
If you want extra, personalized help with the financial aid process, this
award-winning site offers in-depth guidance from a Certified Financial
Planner with an MBA. Numerous testimonials indicate that the assistance
he provides can significantly increase your financial aid. With federal
and state aid shrinking, it makes sense to do everything you can to maximize
your chances for an outstanding aid package.
FastWeb
Need money for college? Use FastWeb's free scholarship search to find information on more than 600,000 scholarships!
The web's fastest and best free scholarship search.
Free Scholarship Search
Another searchable database for scholarships.
Cash
for College
An excellent site by the National Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators that offers answers to all your financial aid questions.
The
Student Guide
The US Dept of Education offers a helpful, downloadable guide to financial
aid.
FinAid
"The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid" has some great resources.
Financial Aid Resource Center
Sponsored by EStudentLoan.com. Has useful information.
The Consumer Information
Center
This government sponsored site offers free information on many topics. It's always changing. You can get lost once inside the CIC!
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Testing and evaluations
I'm a big fan of college-level exams, particularly for the non-traditional
learner who has read widely. I earned 45 credits toward my bachelor's degree
by taking CLEPs and DANTES. At less than $75 per exam, they are probably the
cheapest credit you'll ever earn, and it's very satisfactory to get credit
for what you know.
College Board
Home of the SAT I & II, CLEP, and AP exams. Learn about the tests, try out
some practice questions, and when you're feeling confident, register for
your exam. A good site with lots of information.
DSST
The Chauncey Group offers DANTES exams, which are similar to CLEPs, except
that they are untimed. Each exam is worth 3-6 college credits.
Graduate Record Examinations
GRE's are the exams you take when preparing to enter graduate school.
A few colleges that offer life experience credit for returning adult students
will accept a GRE score as proof of knowledge and grant up to 30 credits
in the subject area of the test. This site offers detailed descriptions
of the tests as well as sample questions.
Portfolio Library
A portfolio is another means of evaluation, particularly useful for non-traditional
students who wish to document achievements in return for college credit.
This extremely useful site offers instructions and samples. If you are
interested in portfolio credit, be sure to find out your school?s policy
and desired format.
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