Higher education has been known to be extremely costly, with the average student debt at around $30,000 last year. Scholarships are a straightforward way to help bring college debt down, and often requires not much work. Here are three financial aid programs to get you started.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Applying for FAFSA is one of the most common college debt programs students apply for. This is a governmental organization that evaluates your household situation and determines an amount that they can donate to your college finances. The key with this program is to apply early, the earlier you apply the better chance you have at getting a decent sum. In my experience, the application takes about 40 minutes and deeply dives into your parent’s finances, so keep a parent around when applying. Even if you believe your household income may be high, it doesn’t hurt to apply. After the form has been completed, you add your colleges and once you gain admission FAFSA will notify you on what they can provide. They additionally offer student loan programs that may be worth investing in.

Coca-Cola Scholars Program
This one is far more exclusive than the former programs, although with a much higher reward. This program is achievement-based that aims to award chosen seniors with a $20,000 grant. This scholarship is more competition-based but is once again, free to apply. The process begins with the applicants being narrowed to a group of 1400 students who are then selected to win the grant.

FHS PTSA

This scholarship is specific to Freedom high school seniors and provides four $500 to qualifying seniors. They must be a 2020 graduating Freedom H.S. Senior and must have been accepted to a college, university or a technical/ vocational school. They must be in good standing with the FHS Student Affairs office and have an unweighted G.P.A of at least 2.5. If interested in the grant, purchasing a membership is the first step, which can be found online.

COVID Relief

This scholarship is likely to only be applicable for this year but is an easy $1000 off of your tuition fees. The foundation DoSomething started this grant to help alleviate some of the stress students are facing. There are no academic requirements apart from writing a couple sentences. They ask to share your anti-stress tips that you used to get through the past year with the election, COVID and eLearning taking place. Over 10,000 students will receive this scholarship.

Bright Futures

Lastly and most popular, is the bright futures program. Funded by the Florida Lottery system, bright futures is one of the biggest scholarships a Floridian can receive. As long as you’re in- state, this program can fund either 75% or 100% of your tuition fees. To be eligible for 75%, you have to take all the required high school classes plus 4 years of math, additionally a 1210 has to be achieved on the SAT. To receive the 100% coverage, you have to receive 100 hours of volunteer service and a 1320 on the SAT.