Pay for Your Education
Can you afford the education you need to achieve your goals? You have many options to get training or a degree. Think about short-term actions towards your career. Start planning now how to pay for your education. The Career Information System's ReNEW has Financial Aid files and a way to sort them to find which may be the most likely ones for you. Log in as an Illinois resident to see thousands of scholarships, grants, and loans.
Before you apply to schools, update your budget. Know how much you can afford to pay for training.
What are your financial aid choices?
Financial aid is money that helps you pay for school or training. Most students get money from one or more of the four kinds of aid. This aid is used to pay for your tuition, books, or other costs.
| Types of Financial Aid |
| Grants and scholarships are awards you don't have to pay back. Grants mostly come from the government, such as the Federal Pell Grant. Scholarships can come from a school, community group, business, or the government. Some scholarships are for people who don't have much money. Others are for people who are good at sports, have good grades, or a special talent. Check with the school you want to go to for scholarships that fit you. |
| A loan is money you borrow. You have to pay back a loan with interest. There are many kinds of loans. Each has a different interest rate and rules. Some well-know loans are the Stafford, Perkins, PLUS, and SELF. |
| Work study is a job offered through the school. It helps you earn money to pay for your education. |
Resources to Help You Pay for Education
- Tips to lower education costs
- Financial aid advisor
- Tax credits to cover costs
- Scholarship information
- Loan calculator
- Grants, loans & scholarships
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Workforce Investment Act (WIA) approved programs for IL
