About GrantOwl
GrantOwl is a 100% free education resource designed to help students earn a degree that's in line with their career goals, and pay for it without taking on more debt than they need.
Since 2018, we've published free guides on scholarships, grants and other financial aid. We also help match students with accredited online and campus-based schools, so they can make well-informed decisions about their future.
Who we help
Paying for school can feel overwhelming, wherever you're starting from. We write for:
- Students heading to college for the first time, and their parents.
- Anyone going back to school to finish a degree or start a new career.
- Graduates paying off student loans who want to pay less, or pay them off faster.
What you'll find here
Our guides cover the whole journey, from finding money for school to paying back what you borrowed:
- Grants: how college grants work and how to apply, starting with the FAFSA.
- Scholarships: where to find them and how to make your application stand out.
- Student loans: repayment plans, forgiveness and ways to pay off your loans faster.
- Refinancing: when refinancing makes sense, and when it doesn't.
- Investing: simple ways for students and young adults to start building wealth.
We also offer free tools, such as our student loan calculator, to help you plan.
How we write our guides
Financial aid rules change often, and getting them wrong can cost you money. So we follow a few simple rules:
- We write in plain English. No jargon, no fluff, just practical steps you can act on.
- We check our facts. We verify rules and figures against official sources, such as studentaid.gov, the U.S. Department of Education and the IRS.
- We show our sources. Most guides list the sources we used, so you can check them yourself.
- We keep our guides up to date. When the rules change, as they did for federal student loans in July 2026, we review and update the guides they affect.
How we make money
GrantOwl is free to use. To keep it that way, we earn money from advertising and from some partner links. If you click a partner link and sign up for a product or service, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. This never changes what we write or which guides we publish.
Ads and partner offers on our site are clearly marked.
We're independent
GrantOwl is an independent website. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or any other government agency. You never have to pay to apply for federal student aid: the FAFSA is free at studentaid.gov.
Get in touch
Have a question, a suggestion, or spotted something that's out of date? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us or email [email protected].