Many families would not be able to afford to send their children to colleges without financial aid. Usually, the government and separate private and public organizations award financial aid to students, known as federal aid and private aid, respectively. Students are generally considered for grants and scholarships, but if you wish to apply for a student loan or a work-study or service program, you must indicate it on the applications. Grants and scholarships award a certain amount of money to students, which the student doesn't have to repay. Student loans, on the other hand, award a student a certain amount of money that accumulates interest over a period of time, depending on the type of loan; the student must then repay the amount of the loan plus the interest after college. If none of these financial aid options seems appealing, there are two other ways to pay for college. The work-study and service programs both help students attend college for little to no price if the student works while attending school or participates in a service program during or before attending school. For more information on the different grants, scholarships, and loans, and for the schools and organizations that participate in work-study and service programs, read the informational articles in this section. Continue reading ...

Richard Hemby is a writer who regularly writes about online degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, an online college directory and comparison website.