David Rosen

If you’re looking for free money to help pay for college, you need to know what forms you need to fill out and what types of aid are available — and you need to be prepared to fill out any number of applications. And, you’re never to young to be aware that some people are in the college-aid business to take money from you and make money for themselves, so develop some savvy about when it’s okay to share personal information and when it’s not.

The U.S. Department of Education gives out a substantial amount of money to help students and their families afford the costs of higher education. Student financial aid from the federal government requires that you need to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Federal Pell Grants: Pell grants are designed for undergraduate students who haven’t yet earned a bachelor’s or professional degree.

Confusion in terminology comes when discussing the forms of financial aid known as tuition discounts and waivers. Some people consider these to be strictly the financial aid offered based on eligibility. Others define tuition discounts as including anything offered by the college that reduces the amount a student is required to pay for tuition.

Winning free college money is rather like earning money for writing. You have to work at it, and you only get paid if you do it right. But, unlike being a professional writer, pretty much anyone can win free money for college as long as that person educates himself about the process, completes the applications properly, and follows up on a timely basis.

One of the best tax incentives aimed at middle class parents of college students is the Hope Scholarship Credit. Under this plan, the government offers up to $1,500 per year as a tax credit to partially compensate parents (or other tuition payers) for paying their dependent student's college tuition. Independent students can also qualify for the Hope Scholarship Credit for their own education.

Always be extremely wary of any unsolicited scholarship offers, especially the ones that you've never heard about before. Think about it. Unless you have perfect SAT scores, you lettered in varsity track, basketball, and football, scored 100 percent in all your final high school courses, and were named state valedictorian, why would a scholarship foundation seek you out?

Free money gets awarded to the students who are most attractive to people awarding the money. "Attractive" in this case doesn't mean the ability to win a beauty contest, so exposing yourself in a bikini is not a good idea for a video essay (despite its effect in the movie Legally Blonde). The most attractive students are the ones who are most likely to reflect positively on the college or the giving institution by doing well in school and becoming successful, famous, and wealthy — and, of course, giving back to the community.

As you fill out applications looking for free money for college, you may encounter some people and organizations trying to take money away from you rather than help you pay for your education. Following are a few tips that can help you reduce your chances of getting scammed by a fake scholarship companies: Never, ever give your personal information (such as date of birth, Social Security Number, address, credit-card info) until you have done extensive background checks on the company or organization.

Getting free money to help pay for college is a worthy ambition and an achievable goal. Just bear in mind that you have to spend some time filling out scholarship applications. Keep the following tips in mind as you put pen — or keyboard — to application. Apply for as many scholarships and grants as you can reasonably handle.