NextStudent, the leading Phoenix-based education funding company, suggests that every student's search for college funding should begin with the search for "Free Money," better known as scholarships. With the costs of higher education yearly on the rise, obtaining money that need not be repaid is an essential tip for all college and college-bound students. NextStudent can help students become their own college funding resource by helping to locate scholarships for school.

There is a lot of "Free Money" out there to uncover and access, and all students have to do is know where to look. The first step for students should be NextStudent's free, online Scholarship Search Directory (http://www.nextstudent.com/directory%2Dof%2Dscholarships/). The Scholarship Search Directory houses over 2.4 million scholarships valued at more than $3.4 billion from 42,000 sources.

Easy-to-Use Directory

NextStudent's Scholarship Search Directory is easy to use and, chances are, if students really dig in, they will find scholarships that best suit their needs. First students can start by searching for the college they will attend in the fall, as well as the year of attendance. To do this, students can click on the "College(s)" and "Year of Study" links, respectively. Next, students can look for scholarships open to students in their state by clicking "State of residency." Students also can check to see if their parents' employers are in the directory by clicking on "Corporate Employer(s)." Third, students can check out scholarships by "Academic Major" and, lastly, they can explore any remaining categories that apply to any specific skills they may have. For example there are category listings for: "Athletic Skill(s)" or "Artistic Skill(s)," "Honor(s)," "Ethnic Background(s)" or "Racial Background(s)," "Military or Veteran Affiliation(s)," "Religious Affiliation(s)" and "Other Affiliation(s)."

Specific Needs Scholarships

The directory also includes scholarships for students who have specific needs such as "Impairments," which include chronic medical conditions and other ailments. Students also can check the category called "Unique Situation," which includes awards to former students of a particular county school, awards for exchange students, or those with part-time or full-time jobs. There also are unique awards for students who are Amateur Radio (Ham) Operators or for those who have been home-schooled.

There are a host of opportunities for FREE money regardless of a student's background or financial situation, and many of those opportunities can be found through NextStudent's Scholarship Search Directory. The more "Free Money" students can find means the less money they have to obtain through student loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/student-loans/student-loans.asp).

NextStudent believes that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and it is dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding simple. Learn more about scholarships, student loans , private student loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/private_loans/private_loans.asp), and student loan consolidation (http://www.nextstudent.com/consolidation_loans/consolidation_loans.asp) at NextStudent.com.

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