District of Columbia Superintendent of Education

Well, similar except as how one describes "need-based". If you are a(n):

• D.C.resident for at least a year before entering college
• 24 year-old or younger, U.S. citizen (or eligible non-citizen)
• undergraduate, enrolled at least half-time, without a four-year,graduate or professional degree
• high school grad (or GED recipient) and not defaulted on federal loans;

The DCTAG award can be used at any public college or university in the U.S. (with the exception of the University of the District of Columbia) at any private, nonprofit college or university within the metropolitan area, and at any Historically Black College or University in the nation.

The amount of the award depends on which school you go to and how many credits you are undertaking. For a public school, your award can be up to $10,000 per year (lifetime cap of $50,000) towards making up the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition. For private schools and HBCUs, the award can be up to $2,500 (lifetime cap of $10,000) per year.

Requirements for renewal are that you maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (however your school defines it) and that you stay a D.C. resident for as long as you are in college. Along with your FAFSA, there is a separate application to file.

Check your D.C. FAFSA deadline.

A private, nonprofit organization, the D.C. College Access Program, helped to get the DCTAG legislation passed and has it's own grant program- the DC CAP Last Dollar Awards, worth up to $2,000 per year for 5 years. These grants are intended to close the gap between financial awards and college expenses, like books, supplies, transportation and room and board. This organization is made up of corporate sponsors (including student loan lenders) and is not officially connected with the District of Columbia Superintendent of Education Office.

However, this program no longer exists.

All federal student loans are now federal Direct student loans. If you have FFELP loans and wish to combine them into a Direct loans consolidation loan, you can still do this during the 2011-2012 school year.

The District of Columbia is also the focus of the DC Health Professional Recruitment Program Act. This is a loan repayment plan which aims at training and keeping health professionals in D.C. to work in medically underserved facilities. Repayment of school loans is offered in exchange for service.

Find other D.C. area college grants and scholarships and for additional college funding, you might find a good private loan lender among the various credit unions who provide student loans.