Published in Internet Newsroom.

No doubt about it--a college education isn't cheap. However, many programs are available to help with the high costs, if parents only know where to look. Believe it or not, the Internet offers sites that will almost walk you through the financial aid process. Let's see what we can find.

U.S. News has launched an impressive College & Careers Center at their website. This comprehensive tool is helpful to anyone who is already in college or is preparing for college or graduate school. Divided into four sections, the site helps visitors choose a college, find financial aid assistance, decide on graduate school or a career, and learn about non-classroom campus life. Under the financial aid section, be sure to check out their 1998 Best Values rankings, which is a guide to the top-rated colleges for both quality and cost. Use their interactive workshops to calculate college costs or your Expected Family Contribution, or let their financial aid experts help you find the assistance you need in the Answer Zone. Learn about scholarship opportunities, college-sponsored aid, or private-aid sources.

Another excellent site that offers help in finding financial aid is Mapping Your Future, sponsored by a group of guaranty agencies that participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). The site provides accurate and up-to-date information about student aid and helps to develop innovative student aid services to assist students and families. The purpose of the Online Student Loan Counseling section is to help you understand your rights and obligations as a student loan borrower. Or, you can learn the Ten Steps to Paying for School in the Paying for School section.

Sallie Mae, or the Student Loan Marketing Association, features an outstanding website jam packed with valuable information for anyone needing financial aid assistance for college. You'll learn how to plan for college, how to pay for college, how to shop for financial aid, how to get education loans, and much more. Click on Calculators to forecast college costs or to estimate your borrowing needs. The site's free Online Scholarship Service gives students access to the CASHE¨ (College Aid Sources for Higher Education) database, which is one of the industry's most respected and comprehensive sources of financial aid resources for college.

Visit the 1998 Grants for College Scholarships & Fellowships Report, which provides details to enable you to successfully apply for and receive the maximum funding for college scholarship and fellowship grants, at either the graduate or undergraduate level. The grant money can be used to pay for tuition, books, fees, and room and board each year. Over sixty scholarship and fellowship programs are included in this report.

At Financial Aid Search Through the Web (fastWEB), you simply set up a personalized profile that will match your specific skills, abilities, and interests to fastWEB's database of over 400,000 scholarships. Complete their six simple steps to get your results in five minutes or less--online!

What about looking for financial aid assistance direct from the federal government? At the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) home page, you'll find detailed information about assistance that is available from the DOE to help students pay for college expenses. Use their user-friendly guides to learn about federal grants, loans, and work-study programs for financial aid applicants and high school students. These guides include electronic versions of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a searchable list of Title IV School Codes, and information on the Direct Loan Program.

CollegeView College Search is a free online college search service that profiles over 3,700 colleges and universities. Besides offering virtual tours of campuses and electronic applications, you'll also find financial aid information and career planning tools. Under financial aid, look for categories such as Hints & Tips, Applying for Aid, Estimating Expenses, and Sample Financial Aid Packages.

For a free, comprehensive, and objective guide to student financial aid, visit FinAid, the Financial Aid Information Page, created by the author of The Prentice Hall Guide to Scholarships and Fellowships for Math and Science Students. Learn about various sources of financial aid, such as Prepaid Tuition Plans or Scholarships/Fellowships. The site even features sections on special interest groups, such as Disabled Students, Minority Students, or Sports/Athletes.

The College Edge website is divided into four areas: Going to College, Going to Business School, Admission Professionals, and Guidance Counselors. The Going to College Section is designed for high school/secondary school, international, and transfer students who want to find the right college or university. Information and guidance on scholarships, majors, financial aid, and more is provided. By creating a free My CollegeEdge User account, you'll have access to their comprehensive search facilities, an online recruiter for colleges and financial aid assistance, and even an opportunity to win a SNAP/CollegeEdge Scholarship of $1,000.

Visit College Choice, a nonprofit information service, where you'll find information on planning, selecting, applying, and paying for college. Under Paying for College, you'll find information on college costs, kinds and sources of financial aid, and how to apply.

An excellent site for the college-bound student is College Xpress. Not only can you search for a college at the site, but you can also request information about that college and even review maps of the campus. At the Financial Aid Office, you can estimate your college costs, locate scholarships, and discover loan information. You can post questions about the financial aid process at their bulletin board, or download a college aid calculator to calculate the real cost of college.

We'll close with the Nellie Mae Home Page, which offers "financial assistance 4 higher education." Nellie Mae is a national leader in student loan financing and services, and their website offers extensive information about financial aid.

Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at robinnobles@robinsnest.com.

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