Financial Aid and Student Loans in Connecticut

If you’re a resident of Connecticut, and you’re hoping to attend college, thinking about the amount of money you need to fund your education can feel overwhelming. If you’re paying for your entire education on your own, it might be downright impossible to get the necessary funds without assistance from third-parties.

Fortunately, Connecticut residents have access to a range of different funding avenues that can help pay for tuition and other expenses. At Funding U, we provide a comprehensive funding checklist that helps you to take advantage of all the different options available to you.

Many Connecticut students take advantage of a combination of federal loans, private loans, grants, scholarships, and tuition-relief programs. If you plan for your college costs ahead of time, you can position yourself to afford tuition and living expenses.

What Scholarship Programs Does Connecticut Have?

One of the primary ways you can reduce the financial burden of attending college in Connecticut is to apply for scholarships that cover part or all of your tuition. One of the significant benefits associated with scholarships is that you don’t have to pay them back (unless you violate their requirements).

Connecticut residents have many few different scholarship options available, but here are a few of the more notable ones:

Connecticut Community Foundation Scholarships

The CCF is one of the largest college scholarship providers in the Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills region, awarding hundreds of scholarships a year to residents of the area. To find a full list of their scholarships, click here.

The American Savings Foundation

The Robert T. Kenney Scholarship, granted by the American Savings Foundation,  is the largest independent college scholarship program from a single source of funds in Connecticut. Each year nearly 400 Robert T. Kenney Scholars attend community colleges, 4-year institutions, and technical or vocational programs in Connecticut and beyond.  

• High school seniors — you are either ranked in the top 1/3 of your graduating class or you have at least a 2.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
• Current college students – you have at least a 2.5 GPA.
• You live in any one of the 64 Connecticut towns served by the American Savings Foundation.

Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut

Since 1983, the Community Foundation has awarded nearly $7 million in scholarships through 124 funds established by generous individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits to help area students pursue an education and establish rewarding careers.

The Community Foundation lists a number of independent scholarships on their website specific to residents of Connecticut.

What Grant Programs Does Connecticut Have?

If you can’t find enough scholarship funding, you can also apply for grants. While Connecticut isn’t known for having a large number of grants to take advantage of, there is one option available to students in the state:

Roberta B. Willis Need-Based Grant

Connecticut’s only state-backed grant is for students that need financial assistance. You will not need to exhibit an exceptional academic performance to be eligible for this grant.

You can apply for the grant by filling out the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) form. You must intend to attend a non-profit college, and you must have a low enough Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to qualify. Additionally, you will need to contact the financial aid department of your college when you apply for the Robert B. Willis Need-Based Grant.

For successful applicants, the monetary benefits are substantial. You can receive up to $4,500 if you’re a full-time student. Fortunately, it is one of the few grants that are available to students seeking either two or four-year degrees.

What Student Loans Programs Does Connecticut Have?

In a similar fashion to many states in the country, Connecticut does not have a state-specific student loan program for its residents. If you want access to student loans in Connecticut, you will need to use either federal or private loan providers.

Federal student loans

Prospective students in Connecticut can receive federal financial aid assistance by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid(FAFSA). 

Private co-signed student loans

There are many private student loan opportunities for those who need additional assistance on top of federal student loans. Many banks, credit unions, and dedicated lending companies offer private student loans, but almost all require a co-signer.

No co-signer student loans in Connecticut

Funding U began because we identified thousands of students who were unable to qualify for a private student loan because they didn’t have an eligible co-signer. While we’re no longer the only provider of such loans, we offer no co-signer student loans to career-focused students currently enrolled full time in college. The requirements for receiving a loan are dependent upon the GPA of the student and the graduation rate of the institution they attend. To learn more about our no co-signer student loans click here.

What Schools Does Funding U Lend to in Connecticut?

Generally speaking, Funding U’s no co-signer loans are offered to students at eligible four-year, non-profit, undergraduate degree-granting universities (which means we do not lend to for-profit schools, 2-year schools, graduate schools, or trade schools). Our eligibility requirements are based on models that aim to predict how likely a student is to graduate, and because of that we have minimum GPA requirements that students must meet and minimum 6-year graduation rates that schools must reach in order to be eligible. To find out more about how we determine our eligibility, click here.

Below is a table listing all of the schools in Connecticut that Funding U is currently lending to, with additional details on which grades we are currently lending to, based on the school’s 6-year graduation rate.