Published: February 13, 2019 by Havilah Steinman

Financial aid and the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, can seem overwhelming to students initially embarking on their journey to higher education. March 2, 2019, is the Priority Application Submission Deadline, and while it is still a few weeks away, it’s important to get geared up now. 

Financial Aid

If you are not familiar with the FAFSA or the steps surrounding submission, I suggest checking out these step by step instructions penned by my predecessor, Five Steps To Apply For Financial Aid. The Financial Aid and Scholarship office also offers instruction on the page Seven Steps to Financial Aid. 

The Financial Aid and Scholarships page on iSchool website also offers great resources for students. It’s important to note that while awards will not be sent until the applicant has been admitted to the school and enrolled in classes, it can take several months for the FAFSA to be processed and sent to the school. Therefore, time is of the essence!  

Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships are available for newly enrolled and continuing students through the iSchool. These scholarship pages, shared below, offers resources for grants and scholarships offered by other organizations. Scholarships and grants offer incredible funding to students who do not wish to take out large loans to complete their degrees. 

With over three pages to explore, many of the grants listed offer travel funding and stipends for attending various conferences. Some of these opportunities will also be sent directly to student emails via the iSchool Alert and Email Lists.

Other grants also award cash prices for essay winners, such as the Justin Winsor Prize of the American Library Association Library History Round Table, LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award, and the Gerd Muehsam Award. It’s also worth mentioning when navigating through the three grant pages, the grants listed at the top of the page will not change, whereas those listed at the bottom will. 

It’s never too early to consider how you are going to fund your academic journey. Also, it’s never too late to apply for helpful scholarships and grants once you have been admitted as a student. Check out the iSchool Scholarship Recipients page which shares the stories of students who have received this helpful aid throughout the years. 

Whether you are a prospective, new or continuing iSchool student, there are incredible opportunities for funding your academic journey. If I have neglected to include something, please feel free to mention it in the comments! Also, check out these other great resources about financial aid listed below.