Most information about scholarships you may qualify for is available for free on the Internet, from your guidance counselor, or the financial aid office of the college you plan to attend. Be careful about spending any money trying to track down sources of college financial aid.

Scholarship search companies may charge hundreds, even thousands of dollars to give you a list of scholarships. That's money better spent paying for college. With a little detective work, you can find financial aid sources yourself.

Your guidance counselor is the place to start. After talking with your counselor, contact the financial aid office of each college you're interested in to discuss financial aid programs.

You should also attend any free financial aid workshops sponsored by your high school, local colleges and universities, or the Mississippi Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA). Don't confuse free events with events sponsored by companies offering services for a fee.

The Internet can also be a valuable resource tool for free scholarship sources, but beware of sites that ask for a credit card number.

Remember: Web sites are not regulated by anyone. A scam artist can set up a great-looking site, rake in money, and then shut down.

Common Cons

The Federal Trade Commission cautions students to be especially skeptical about scholarship search companies and Web sites that claim:

"The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back."
Read the fine print. To get a refund, you may have to receive a letter of rejection from every source on your list. That may be impossible to do if a scholarship on your list is no longer offered. Some companies have even been accused of providing fake sources to make sure you can't get a rejection letter. The fine print may state that all types of student financial aid are included, so if you get a loan but no scholarships, you can't get your money back.

"You can't get this information anywhere else."
Nearly all the information can be found by working with your guidance counselor and college financial aid officer, visiting your high school or public library, or doing your own free online scholarship search.

"I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship."
Never give these numbers to a person or company you're not sure about. Someone with your credit card number can charge something to your card, and someone with your bank account number can make withdrawals — without your knowledge.