How am I going to pay for college?” Mesa Community College (MCC) student service advisors say that’s one of the first questions they are asked.
Fortunately, one of MCC’s many free services is to help students explore a wealth of potential scholarships, grants and other funding opportunities. Students have already made a wise, money-saving decision by choosing a community college. At MCC, tuition is 75 percent less than at most state universities.
Here are four resources that can make pursuing degrees or career training happen.
- Federal Funds
- FAFSA [fafsa.gov], the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the key to finding federal grants, scholarships, and low-interest loans. Complete the online application as soon as possible in order to be awarded before school starts. You will need MCC’s Federal ID number (001077) as well as some documentation, which is listed on MCC’s Financial Aid website [mesacc.edu/financial-aid].
- Gain skills while earning money for college with an MCC Work-Study job. After you receive your financial aid award, contact the financial aid department for work-study eligibility. Work-study funds are very limited. If you don’t qualify, you can still find job listings at MCC Career Services [mesacc.edu/career].
- Scholarships
- Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation Scholarships: Students attending MCC are eligible for scholarships from the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation [mcccdf.org]. Proof of citizenship is not required for most of these. Fill out one application and you’ll be notified of the ones for which you might qualify.
- The Presidents’ Honors Scholarships are for Maricopa County high school students who have just graduated with a 3.25 GPA or higher. Attend any Maricopa Community College and the scholarship covers the cost of in-county tuition for 15 credit hours per semester, and automatically renews for a total of four consecutive semesters (summers excluded) as long as the criteria for continued enrollment is met.
- MCC Scholarships have been established by generous faculty, alumni and community members for MCC students only. Find them at [mesacc.edu/scholarships] as they become available throughout the year.
- Mesa Community College Resources
- The Veterans Center [mesacc.edu/veterans] helps those who have served our country find assistance, especially with receiving their military college benefits that can include tuition, books and funds for dependents. Additional resources include the Veteran Appreciation Scholarship at MCC and Veterans United Foundation.
- American Indian Institute [mesacc.edu/aii] assists Native American students in applying for educational funding offered by many American Indian tribes.
- Community and Other Organizations
- Apply for higher education money from groups such as College Success Arizona [collegesuccessarizona.org], AZ Community Foundation [azfoundation.org] and Nina Mason Pulliam [ninapulliamtrust.org/scholars/mcc/].
- MCC has an extensive list of scholarship opportunities made available by a range of private groups from the American Welding Society [www.aws.org/foundation/page/scholarships] to the American Helicopter Society’s engineering scholarship [ahsaz.org]. Organizations such as the Geneseo Migrant Center [migrant.net/scholarships], American Association of University Women [aauw.org] and Korean American Scholarship Foundation [kasf.org] are among the scholarships for which you can apply if you fit certain criteria.
Why pay for online searches when you can use free MCC financial aid services. If you have a quick question, you can email [mccfinaid@mesacc.edu] or, once you are registered and have your MEID (student ID), you can live chat at [mesacc.edu/financial-aid/chat-financial-aid].
For more in-depth assistance, stop by Enrollment Services in the Mesquite building on the Red Mountain campus, or the Enrollment Center on the Southern and Dobson campus.