Scholarships and Aid

The Mayor's Office of Education and Youth Engagement strives to make college more attainable for our youth by providing a plethora of college preparation resources. On this page you will find the differences between aid and scholarships, the types of financial aid, the process to applying to financial aid, a searchable table to discover current scholarships and aid opportunities available for you to apply to, and ways to apply to college.

Financial aid is usually granted based on need and may require repayment. There are different types of financial aid:

• Grants are free money that you do not have to pay back.
• Student loans do need to be paid back, charge you interest, and will vary depending on your needs.
• Work study provides part-time jobs to help students that demonstrate financial need pay for their education expenses.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step to receiving financial aid from the federal and state government and most colleges and universities. You can start filing your forms from January 1st until June 30th. To fill out the FAFSA, you need to be a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, conditional permanent resident, or another eligible noncitizen with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security. There are a number of documents you need to fill out the FAFSA:

• Previous year Federal Tax Return (and spouse’s, if student is married)
• FAFSA Personal Identification Number (PIN)
• Social Security Number
• Driver’s License Number
• Most Recent W-2 or Year-end Pay Stub
• Untaxed Income Records
• Bank Statement(s)
• Business and Investment Records
• Registration Card (if not a U.S. Citizen)

After you have submitted your college applications, you will receive award letters from the colleges of your choice. An award letter is an offer from a college that states the type and amount of financial aid the school is willing to provide if you accept admission and enroll in classes. You will need to decide which award package and schools best fits your needs.

Scholarships do not need repayment and are frequently given out by colleges and other organizations in accordance with merit or achievement. They may cover costs such as books and supplies, tuition, room and board, learning abroad, research, and more.

Use the searchable table below to navigate through the scholarships offered by various foundations and programs. Enter keyword below to search (E.g., "leadership", "STEM", "aid,"etc.). Refresh or delete to clear search.

Apply to universities with either Apply Texas or the Common Application. Most universities in the state of Texas will accept Apply Texas applications as well as the Common Application, with the exception of some private Texas schools. It is recommended that students use Apply Texas when the majority of schools they are applying to are in the state of Texas, and use the Common Application when they are applying to majority out-of-state schools.

Apply Texas

• This site allows you to research your options, apply using the Texas Common Application online, and saves the information so that you can use the application for several schools at once.

Common App

• Get connected with everything you need to apply to college, research financial aid and scholarships, and get advice from counselors, advisors and mentors.