Financial Aid & Scholarships
Paying for College
Financial Aid is the term that often refers to the entire aid that a family receives from a college or university. In general, the term financial aid may encompass merit-based scholarships as well as need-based financial assistance. Merit-based scholarships are those awarded to students based on their high achievement in a particular area, from academics to the arts. Need-based financial assistance comes in the form of grants, work-study opportunities, and student/parent loans. For more information about paying for college, check out the following link on the College Board web site.
Scholarships
Scholarships are gift aid that does not have to be repaid by the student. They can be awarded from a number of resources including colleges/universities, local and national organizations, a student’s place of worship, a parent’s place of employment, and more.
College-specific scholarships can be awarded for academic merit, artistic talent (music, art, theatre), and by department. Students are encouraged to begin the scholarship search by reviewing opportunities available at the colleges to which they are applying.
Outside scholarships, which are scholarships not offered by or designated for a specific college, but may be applied to any institution to which the student enrolls. The links below will take you to various scholarship databases.
www.collegeboard.com
www.cfmt.org/request/scholarships/ (Community Foundation of Middle TN)
www.fastweb.com
www.finaid.org
www.scholarships.com
www.collegefortn.org/landing
Tennessee State Scholarships
Click on the box "Money for College" and then "Scholarships" to read more about the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarships, the Ned McWherter Scholars Program, and more.
Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarships*
To learn more about the Tennessee Hope Scholarship, please click on the link below: https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/collegepays/money-fo...
*Please note that the FAFSA serves as the application for the Lottery Scholarships (see below for a direct link to the FAFSA site).
Beware of Scholarship Scams
If someone guarantees you scholarship money if you will pay them for their services or if a company promises to do all the work for you if you will come to their informational workshop, you may be in the midst of a scholarship scam! Please see the college counselors if you have specific questions about a letter or phone call you receive, and remember not to give your personal information out over the phone.
College Financial Aid
A meeting hosted by Dr. Forrest M. Stuart, Assistant Vice President for Financial Aid at Lafayette College, introduced you to the FAFSA and CSS Profile – forms families must complete to receive need-based financial assistance from colleges. Please note the FAFSA is required by ALL colleges and universities while the CSS Profile is only required by select institutions like Vanderbilt, Furman and Rhodes.
A Zoom link with the recording of this meeting was emailed to junior and senior families after the event. If you have questions, please email: collegecounseling@brentwoodacademy.com for more information.
Kit Myers
Class of 2017 | Abeline Christian University
Kara Anderson
Class of 2013 | University of Virginia
Next Steps
Whether you're ready to apply now or still exploring what BA is all about, we're happy to help.