The U.S. Federal Government is the single largest source of financial assistance for college students. In 2006 they provided more than $50 billion to more than $10 million students.

Federal Loans

Stafford Loans

There are 2 types of Stafford loans The 2 types are Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loans Financial need is not required to qualify. Students must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible.

Direct Loan

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Student Loan Program is the formal name for Direct Loans or Direct Stafford Loans Eligible students borrow the funds directly from the U.S. Department of Education. There are 3 types of Direct Loans administered by the Department of Education. The 3 types are Direct Stafford Loans Direct PLUS

Loans, and Direct Consolidation Loans The federal government will pay part of the interest for students who demonstrate financial need.

FFEL

Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) are made by banks and private lending institutions. The 3 types of FFEL Loans are FFEL Stafford Loans FFEL PLUS Loans and FFEL Consolidation Loans.

PLUS Loan

PLUS Loans are Parent Loans to for Undergraduate Students. Funds are borrowed by the parents of the student. The loans can be used to pay for all or a part of a student's undergraduate expenses

Federal Perkins Loan

Federal Perkins Loans are based on financial need. The educational institution loans the money to the student. Students do not have to be enrolled at least half-time as with Stafford Loans The interest rate is fixed at 5%.

Federal Grants For Students

Grants differ from loans in that they do not have to be repaid by the recipient.

Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants are the most common source of federal financial aid used by U.S. students.

TEACH Grant Program

The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year in grants to students. The stipulation for receiving the grant is that the student must agree to teach at an elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program is a need-based grant program that is reserved for those students with the greatest financial need.

Academic Competitiveness Grant

The Academic Competitiveness Grant, is a supplement to the Pell Grant. The student must be enrolled as a full-time student receiving a Federal Pell Grant.

The National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant)

The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant, commonly referred to as the National Smart Grant is for junior and senior undergraduate students majoring in math science, technology, or engineering. Minimum grade point average is 3.0. This grant is awarded in addition to the students Pell Grant.

There are other non-federal loans grants, and scholarships available for students seeking money for college as well. Many of them are offered through the schools themselves. Check with your school's financial aid office to find out about what sources of financial aid you may qualify for.

Eliot Hobbs is an author and publisher of information on federal government loan and grant programs. More information can be found at http://bestgrantsandloans.com/federalloans.htm

As with any marketing initiative, the most important achievement is gaining your customer's attention. Even something as simple as a postcard must overcome the natural tendency to "ignore the message". Experts estimate that the average American is blasted with 3000 new market messages every day.

This means even your postcard must be taken out of the envelope.

In order to create a genuinely effective direct mail marketing campaign using postcards you need to consider the following factors:

• Make sure each card only transmits one message. This message must connect directly to the customer's interests hopefully appealing to his emotional and instinctive needs. A postcard can't explain a doctoral thesis. Use a short poignant phrase that reaches out and grabs the reader by the throat.
• Keep it extremely simple. The objective of the postcard is to move the receiver to commit one specific measurable action. You're trying to shoot a poisonous dart straight to the heart. Remember a postcard isn't a machine gun!
• Don't scrimp on your list. You're trying to keep the highest number of cards out of the trash can. This means that the more adequate the mailing list the higher the probability of success.
• The power of three. The human brain is able to easily assimilate three elements at a time. For this reason, you should limit the presentation to this number. Keep them balanced on the card and don't forget to use plenty of whitespace.
• You have to give if you expect to receive. If you want to motivate your customer to take action, you need to make it worth his while. What are you going to give in return? Is it a fair offer?
• Measure your results. You can't achieve success if you don't use a scientific method. Start small, compare different cards to identify the most effective and scale up the one's that generate the maximum results.

In this age of high-technology a simple postcard has several advantages over other marketing techniques.

First, your customer can touch them, turn them over and if you're clever feel like he's received a note from an old friend.

Second, the message can leap directly off the card into their minds. Use a bold well-written headline that captivates their attention. You're halfway there.

Third, a postcard implicitly implies "I'm not going to occupy much of you're time." These days, that's a real show of respect.

Dennis H. Lewis has been living in Alicante, Spain with his wife and two children for almost twenty years.
He currently runs three successful companies entirely in the Spanish market.
If you would like to extend your business to the Spanish-speaking world, learn more about Spanish business culture or find marketing opportunities in Spain you must contact us.
If you need an English-Spanish translator who understands business, we're the experts.
If you read Spanish have a look around our website and you'll be able to see for yourself the absolute quality of our team members.
You'll be speaking with genuine business people with hundreds of years of collective experience making money in the Spanish-speaking markets.