Are you looking for a way to help reduce the cost of higher education? Then checkout the following resources.
Scholarships
The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois is the region’s largest private scholarship provider, with over 125 unique scholarships to awarded annually.
Scholarships Northern Illinois is a database of higher education scholarships offered by organizations in our local area.
The Terry Murphy CVMC Scholarship is funded through the Cherry Valley Men’s Club.
Scholarships.com provides over 3.7 million college scholarships and grants worth about $19 billion in financial aid.
Federal Financial Aid
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form available every year that determines eligibility for college-related financial assistance. Options include grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study. Visit studentaid.gov for more information.
Check It Out
The library owns the following guides to scholarships and financial aid.
The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2025: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships, Grants and Prizes by Gen and Kelly Tanabe
Information on 1.5 million scholarships, grants, and prizes is easily accessible in this revised directory with more than 300 new listings that feature awards indexed by career goal, major, academics, public service, talent, athletics, religion, ethnicity, and more.
Each entry contains all the necessary information for students and parents to complete the application process, including eligibility requirements, how to obtain an application, how to get more information about each award, sponsor website listings, award amounts, and key deadlines. With scholarships for high school, college, graduate, and adult students, this guide also includes tips on how to conduct the most effective search, how to write a winning application, and how to avoid scams.
Paying for College 2025: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College by Kalman A. Chany and Geoff Martz
Take control of your financial aid experience with this essential guide—the only annual guidebook with line-by-line instructions for completing the FAFSA aid forms!
Financing a college education is a daunting task no matter your circumstances–and with the latest changes to the FAFSA and its rocky rollout, it’s never been more intimidating. With line-by-line instructions for filling out the FAFSA and consumer-friendly advice to minimize college costs, Paying for College helps you take control of your experience and:
- Maximize your financial aid eligibility
- Explore long- and short-term strategies to reduce college costs and avoid expensive mistakes
- Complete every question on the FAFSA and CSS Profile aid applications to your best advantage
- Compare aid offers and learn how to appeal them if necessary
- Get advice for handling the impact of the 2024–2025 “FAFSA Fiasco”