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College Planning Guide for First-Time Students: The month by month time frame of how to prepare for college.

 
In the News

Choosing a major in college: Why should you go to college?
By Jeff McGuire

Choosing a major in college is an important decision, and not one to take lightly - the choices you make now can affect the career choices you will have after graduation, so take advantage of the vast resources available to you. There are a variety of materials designed to help you when choosing a major in college so that when you graduate, you will feel confident that you made the right choices for your career.
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All the Details

State Science Colleges:

4-year public & private colleges and universities in Massachusetts:

Two year colleges in Massachusetts:

Financial Aid:

FAFSA: Detailed instructions of how to fill out a FAFSA for federal student aid.

Federal Student Aid: Get the facts on financial aid, how to maintain it, and what to do when school's over... If you are enrolled as a full-time or part-time student and need to find out more about your educational loans, you'll find all the information you need right here.

Scholarships:

Fastweb allows you to input data about yourself and matches you to many scholarships.

Massachusetts STEM opportunities for students: Opportunities for students to receive scholarships and tuition loan repayment programs. Tuition loan repayment is sponsored by the Commonwealth Covenant Fund and available to students who are pursuing a STEM major at a public university or college in Massachusetts.

Grants:

SMART Program: This program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working in laboratories through the following benefits: STEM undergraduate and graduate degree support, full tuition and education-related fees, portable scholarships and fellowships, cash award up to $41,000 depending on prior educational experience, paid summer internships, health insurance reimbursement allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year, book allowance of $1,000 per academic year, mentoring, and employment placement after graduation.

Fulbright Program for U.S. Students: The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

Federal Pell Grants: These grants are awarded to students pursuing their first undergraduate degree. Current full-time awards range from $890 to $4,731. Recipients may also use Federal Pell Grants for part-time study. Federal Pell Grants will be awarded after reviewing anticipated enrolled credits for summer, fall and spring to ensure the maximum annual Pell award.

Teach Grant Program: Through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, Congress created the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program that provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. If, after reading all of the information on this fact sheet, you are interested in learning more about the TEACH Grant Program, you should contact the financial aid office at the college where you will be enrolled starting with the 2008-2009 school year.

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program is for undergraduates with exceptional financial need. Pell Grant recipients with the lowest expected family contributions (EFCs) will be considered first for a FSEOG. Just like Pell Grants, the FSEOG does not have to be repaid.

The Academic Competitiveness Grant was made available for the first time for the 2006-2007 school year for first-year college students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006, and for second-year college students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005.

The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant, also known as the National Smart Grant, is available during the third and fourth years of undergraduate study to full-time students who are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant and who are majoring in physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, or engineering or in a foreign language determined critical to national security. The student must also be enrolled in the courses necessary to complete the degree program and to fulfill the requirements of the intended eligible major in addition to maintaining a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in course work required for the major. The National SMART Grant award is in addition to the student's Pell Grant award.

Massachusetts Grants:

Massgrants: The state of Massachusetts awards Massgrants to undergraduate residents, which range from $300 to $1,700 for students enrolled full time. Part-time degree students may be eligible to receive Massgrants if they enroll for between six and eleven credits per semester. Applicants from Massachusetts apply by filing a FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA before May 1; students from other states should contact their state scholarship agency regarding specific application forms and procedures.

Other State Grants

Massachusetts also offers the following grants. The links will take you to full descriptions of the grants on the Office of State Financial Assistance (OSFA) Web site. In order to be considered for some of these grants, students must submit an application or other materials in addition to the FAFSA.

The Foster Child Grant
Massachusetts Part-Time Grant
Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant