The Internet is becoming a popular vehicle for anyone seeking financial aid to attend college. Most of the Web sites we tested invite the visitor to fill out a "profile" that then matches the student to scholarship programs nationwide. Most also offer a glossary, links to other sites and information about avoiding scholarship scams. Many sites are heavy on commercial promotions and offer to link visitors to financial services institutions, so surf with caution. Here are some of the better addresses:

Scholarships.com (www.scholarships.com) is a well-designed, easy-to-use site that provides a free scholarship search and financial aid information. Creating the student profile is relatively easy, and this information is compared to a database of more than 600,000 college scholarship awards. Also included is information on student loans and grants, financial aid forms and more. FastAID (www.fastaid.com) provides a step-by-step guide to applying for scholarships; tips on completing applications, writing essays and letters; and a bibliography. Setting up the student profile was a little cumbersome and time-consuming, and the design is somewhat distracting. The Scholarship Resource Network Express (www.srnexpress.com) also offers a fairly easy-to-use form for setting up your profile, and provides a large list of possible scholarships.   Editors note: For information on the AFT's Robert G. Porter Scholars Program, as well as other scholarship opportunities, please visit www.aft.org/scholarships.

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