Planning and Paying for College: Federal Government Resources
INSIGHTi
Planning and Paying for College: Federal
Government Resources
Updated April 19, 2024
This Insight describes federal online resources intended to help students and parents plan and acquire
funds for postsecondary education. These include federal resources that provide general information on
scholarships, grants, fellowships, and internships for undergraduate and graduate students; federal student
aid (FSA) programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED); and funding particular to
specific education disciplines and categories of students. Some resources contain information on the
repayment, forgiveness, and discharge of educational debt.
General Resources
The following websites provide planning tools for pursuing postsecondary education, including financial
aid information and information on planning for and developing skills for careers.
U.S. Department of Education
The Federal Student Aid portal helps students learn about how financial aid administered by ED works,
the types of assistance, and how to apply for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) and establish an individual FSA account. The portal provides links to websites with
information on how aid is calculated, tips for comparing school aid offers, and how to accept financial
aid. Students also can learn about repaying loans, consolidating loans, applying for loan forgiveness
programs, and avoiding default.
College Affordability and Transparency Center (CATC) provides a one-stop site of tools for parents and
students to compare colleges’ tuition and fees, net prices, and costs.
• College Scorecard is a comparison tool for information on school sizes, settings,
graduation rates, average costs, and salary ranges per field of study.
• CollegeNavigator is a search tool for individual school data and for creating lists of
schools by size, setting, selectivity, degree programs, location, institution type, religious
affiliation, and other categories.
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• Net Price Calculator Center—Search for Schools’ Calculator is a search tool for
institutions’ net price calculators, which allow undergraduate students to calculate an
estimated net price of attendance at an institution (defined as cost of attendance minus
grant and scholarship aid) based on what similar students paid in a previous year.
Individuals may also contact the postsecondary institution directly if they have questions
about a specific net price calculator.
The Knowledge Center portal provides guidance, resources, and information related to the administration
and processing of financial aid programs for postsecondary students authorized under Title IV of the
Higher Education Act (HEA). Title IV of the HEA authorizes funding through grants and loans to
students. Although designed for financial aid administrators, the website includes detailed information on
rules for federal student aid, including the Federal Student Aid Handbook.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Paying for College provides information on making informed financial decisions about how to pay for
college. It includes financial guides for understanding student loans and repayment options and for
managing money while in college, such as choosing a bank account and the impact of financial aid
disbursement on financial accounts.
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)—Tax Benefits for Education: Information Center provides an overview
on tax credits, deductions, and savings plans to help taxpayers with their higher education expenses. The
center also links to the IRS’s Interactive Tax Assistant tool to help determine eligibility for educational
credits or deductions.
U.S. Department of Labor
CareerOneStop GetMyFuture provides a one-stop site of tools targeted to individuals aged 14 to 24 to
explore careers, learn about and locate training or education programs, and conduct a successful job
search.
• CareerOneStop Scholarship Finder is a search tool for scholarships, fellowships, loans,
and other financial aid opportunities. Users can search by keyword or by category (e.g.,
award type, residence preferences, and study level). The information is provided under a
third-party license and includes nonfederal resources.
• CareerOneStop Explore Careers provides information tools for identifying, planning, and
developing skills for careers.
Apprenticeship.gov provides career seekers, employers, and educators information on apprenticeship
opportunities by type of industry, Department of Labor- and industry-recognized apprenticeship
programs, and state tuition support initiatives.
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) Education and Training website provides an overview on
avoiding educational scams by providing tips on choosing a college or vocational school, paying for
school, avoiding fake degrees, and other scams. It includes information on how to report financial aid,
scholarship, and student loan scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the individual’s state attorney
general.
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Resources for Specific Purposes or Populations
The following resources, organized by federal agency, provide information on college and career planning
for specialized educational disciplines (e.g., international studies, health) and categories of students (e.g.,
veterans, military personnel, and dependents).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Education & Training Opportunities serves as a portal to the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services’ education and training opportunities for health professionals and students, including programs
that support health care providers and researchers.
Health Resources and Services Administration Loans & Scholarships provides links to scholarships and
loan repayment programs, such as the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship, National Health Service
Corps (scholarship or loan repayment), and Nurse Corps (scholarship or loan repayment).
U.S. Department of State
Student Resources provides a portal to a broad range of State Department educational resources.
• Exchange Programs for U.S. Citizens provides resources on undergraduate and graduate
exchange experiences, travel and living arrangements, and finding programs.
• USA Study Abroad provides resources on study abroad programs for U.S. citizens who
are high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. See Foreign Government
Scholarships applicable to U.S. students.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration Education and Training provides information on education benefits
available to honorably discharged veterans and servicemembers (including reservists and National Guard
members) and educational assistance for survivors and dependents.
Author Information
Laura L. Monagle
Research Librarian
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
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as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
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