Becoming a Police Officer: Loans (page 2)

You can get loans that are backed by state and federal dollars to finance your education. Unlike grants and scholarships, they must be paid back with interest. However, interest rates on student loans are usually lower than the rates on any other kind of loan.

Although scholarships and grants, and even work-study programs, can help to offset the costs of higher education, they usually don't give you enough money to pay your way entirely. Most students who can't afford to pay for their entire education rely at least in part on student loans. The largest single source of these loans, and for all money for students, is the federal government. Try these three sites for information about the United States government's programs:

www.fedmoney.org	This site explains everything from the application process (you can actually download the applications you'll need), eligibility requirements, and the different types of loans available.
www.finaid.org	Here, you can find a calculator for figuring out how much money your education will cost (and how much you'll need to borrow), and get instructions for filling out the necessary forms as well as information on the various types of military aid (which are detailed in the next chapter).
www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/students	The Federal Student Financial Aid Homepage. The FAFSA can be filled out and submitted online.

You can also get excellent detailed information about different sources of federal education funding by sending away for a copy of the U.S. Department of Education's publication, The Student Guide. Write to:

Federal Student Aid Information Center
P.O. Box 84
Washington, DC 20044
1-800-4FED-AID

JUST THE FACTS

PLUS loans, or Parent Loans, are available only to students who are legal dependents. They are available from private lenders through the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL) and from the DOE through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.

Stafford Loans are loans determined by the school. Stafford Loans carry a low interest rate and can be either subsidized or unsubsidized. Subsidized loans have a financial need qualification and do not begin to accrue interest until the repayment schedule begins. Unsubsidized Stafford Loans do not require proof of financial need and interest begins accruing at the time the loan is taken out, but usually at rates that are lower than normal commercial loans.

Loan money is also available from state governments. Below is a list of the agencies responsible for giving out such loans.

ALABAMA
Executive Director
Commission on Higher Education
100 North Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36104-3702
Phone: 334-242-1998
Fax: 334-242-0268

ALASKA
Executive Director
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
3030 Vintage Boulevard
Juneau, AK 99801-7109
Phone: 907-465-2962
Fax: 907-465-5316

ARIZONA
Executive Director
Arizona Board of Regents
2020 North Central, Suite 230
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-229-2500
Fax: 602-229-2555

ARKANSAS
Director
Department of Higher Education
114 East Capitol
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-324-9300
Fax: 501-324-9308

CALIFORNIA
California Student Aid Commission
P.O. Box 510845
Sacramento, CA 94245-0845
Phone: 916-445-0880
Fax: 916-327-6599

COLORADO
Executive Director
Commission on Higher Education
1300 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303-866-4034
Fax: 303-860-9750

CONNECTICUT
Commissioner of Higher Education
Department of Higher Education
61 Woodland Street
Hartford, CT 06105
Phone: 203-566-5766
Fax: 203-566-7865

DELAWARE
Executive Director
Delaware Higher Education Commission
820 French Street, 4th Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: 302-577-3240
Fax: 302-577-6765

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Chief, Office of Postsecondary Ed.
Research and Assistance
2100 M. L. King Jr. Avenue, S.E. #401
Washington, DC 20020
Phone: 202-727-3685
Fax: 202-727-2739

FLORIDA
Executive Director
Postsecondary Education Planning Commission
Florida Education Center
Collins Building
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: 904-488-7894
Fax: 904-922-5388

Office of Student Financial Assistance
Room 255, Collins Building
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: 904-488-1034
Fax: 904-488-3612

GEORGIA
Georgia Student Finance Commission
2082 East Exchange Place
Tucker, GA 30084
Phone: 770-414-3200
Fax: 770-414-3163

HAWAII
Hawaii State Postsecondary Education Commission
2444 Dole Street
Bachman Hall, Room 209
Honolulu, HI 96822
Phone: 808-956-8213
Fax: 808-956-5156

IDAHO
Executive Director for Higher Education
State Board of Education
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720-0037
Phone: 208-334-2270
Fax: 208-334-2632

ILLINOIS
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Executive Offices
500 West Monroe Street, 3rd Floor
Springfield, IL 62704
Phone: 217-782-6767
Fax: 217-524-1858

INDIANA
State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana
150 West Market Street, Suite 500
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-232-2350
Fax: 317-232-3260

IOWA
Iowa College Student Aid Commission
200 Tenth Street, 4th Floor
Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: 515-281-3501
Fax: 515-242-5996

KANSAS
Executive Director, Kansas Board of Regents
700 SW Harrison, Suite 1410
Topeka, KS 66603-3760
Phone: 913-296-3421
Fax: 913-296-0983

KENTUCKY
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority
1050 U.S. 127 South
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-564-7990
Fax: 502-564-7103

LOUISIANA
Office of Student Financial Assistance, Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission
P.O. Box 91202
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-9202
Phone: 504-922-1011
Fax: 504-922-1089

MAINE
Financial Authority of Maine, Maine Education Assistance Division
One Weston Court
State House, Station 119
Augusta, ME 04333
Phone: 207-287-2183
Fax: 207-287-2233 or 628-8208

MARYLAND
Secretary of Higher Education
Maryland Higher Education Commission
16 Francis Street
Annapolis, MD 21401-1781
Phone: 410-974-2971
Fax: 410-974-3513

MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts State Scholarship Office
330 Stuart Street
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-727-9420
Fax: 617-727-0667

MICHIGAN
Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority
P.O. Box 30462
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: 517-373-3394
Fax: 517-335-5984

Michigan Higher Education Student Loan Authority
State Department of Education
P.O. Box 30057
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: 517-373-3662
Fax: 517-335-6699

MINNESOTA
Executive Director
Higher Education Services Office
400 Capital Square Building
550 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 612-296-9665
Fax: 612-297-8880

MISSISSIPPI
Commissioner
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211-6453
Phone: 601-982-6611
Fax: 601-364-2862

MISSOURI
Commissioner of Higher Education
Coordinating Board for Higher Education
3515 Amazonas
Jefferson City, MO 65109
Phone: 314-751-2361
Fax: 314-751-6635

MONTANA
Commissioner of Higher Education
Montana University System
2500 Broadway
Helena, MT 59620-3101
Phone: 406-444-6570
Fax: 406-444-1469

NEBRASKA
Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 95005
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005
Phone: 402-471-2847
Fax: 402-471-2886

NEVADA
Nevada Department of Education
700 East 5th Street, Capitol Complex
Carson City, NV 89710
Phone: 702-687-5915
Fax: 702-687-5660

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Executive Director
New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission
Two Industrial Park Drive
Concord, NH 03301-8512
Phone: 603-271-2555
Fax: 603-271-2696

NEW JERSEY
New Jersey Department of Higher Education
Office of Student Assistance and Information Systems
4 Quakerbridge Plaza, CN 540
Trenton, NJ 08625
Phone: 1-800-792-8670 or 609-584-9618
Fax: 609-588-2228

NEW MEXICO
Executive Director
Commission on Higher Education
1068 Cerrillos Road
Santa Fe, NM 87501-4295
Phone: 505-827-7383
Fax: 505-827-7392

NEW YORK
The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12255
Phone: 518-473-0431
Fax: 518-474-2839

NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA)
P.O. Box 2688
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2688
Phone: 919-549-8614
Fax: 919-549-8481

College Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 12100
Raleigh, NC 27605
Phone: 919-821-4771
Fax: 919-821-3139

NORTH DAKOTA
Chancellor
North Dakota University System
600 East Boulevard Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58505
Phone: 701-328-2962
Fax: 701-328-2961

OHIO
Chancellor
Ohio Board of Regents
30 East Broad Street, 36th Floor
Columbus, OH 43266-0417
Phone: 614-466-0887
Fax: 614-466-5866

OKLAHOMA
Chancellor
State Regents for Higher Education
500 Education Building
State Capitol Complex
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405-524-9100
Fax: 405-524-9230

OREGON
Oregon State Scholarship Commission
1500 Valley River Drive, Suite 100
Eugene, OR 97401
Phone: 541-687-7400
Fax: 541-687-7419

PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency
1200 North 7th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
Phone: 717-257-2850
Fax: 717-720-3907

RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority
560 Jefferson Boulevard
Warwick, RI 02886
Phone: 401-736-1100
Fax: 401-732-3541

SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission
P.O. Box 12159
Columbia, SC 29211
Phone: 803-734-1200
Fax: 803-734-1426

SOUTH DAKOTA
Executive Director
Board of Regents
207 East Capitol Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501-3159
Phone: 605-773-3455
Fax: 605-773-5320

Department of Education and Cultural Affairs, Office of the Secretary
700 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2291
Phone: 605-773-3134
Fax: 605-773-6139

TENNESSEE
Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation
Parkway Towers, Suite 1950
404 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0820
Phone: 615-741-1346
Fax: 615-741-6101

TEXAS
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
P.O. Box 12788, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Phone: 512-483-6340
Fax: 483-6420

UTAH
Commissioner of Higher Education
Utah System of Higher Education
3 Triad Center, Suite 550
Salt Lake City, UT 84180-1205
Phone: 801-321-7101
Fax: 801-321-7199

VERMONT
Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
P.O. Box 2000, Champlain Mill
Winooski, VT 05404-2601
Phone: 802-655-9602
Fax: 802-654-3765

VIRGINIA
Director
State Council of Higher Education
101 North 14th Street, 9th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-225-2600
Fax: 804-225-2604

WASHINGTON
Executive Director
Higher Education Coordinating Board
917 Lakeridge Way, P.O. Box 43430
Olympia, WA 98504-3430
Phone: 360-753-7800
Fax: 360-753-7808

WEST VIRGINIA
Chancellor
State College System of West Virginia
1018 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-558-0699
Fax: 304-558-1011

Chancellor
University of West Virginia System
1018 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Suite 700
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-558-2736
Fax: 304-558-3264

WISCONSIN
Higher Educational Aids Board
P.O. Box 7885
Madison, WI 53707
Phone: 608-267-2206
Fax: 608-267-2808

WYOMING
The Community College Commission
2020 Carey Avenue, 8th Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: 307-777-7763
Fax: 307-777-6567