More than $4 billion is available to freshmen and sophomores nationwide through private aid sources.

However, Financial Aid Associate Director Nick Rengler said he is skeptical about private scholarships.

Student Aid Finders is an 8-year-old service which has access to private aid sources through a computer system, said Ann Marie Hemphill, SAF vice president and general manager.

engler said, “I do not recommend private scholarships because of past experience. The only way I would subscribe is if I was guaranteed the same amount of money back that I spent.

Five to 25 sources of aid for which a student is eligible are guaranteed to be located by SAF, Hemphill said. The $49 charge will be refunded if five sources are not found.

More than $100 million in financial aid goes unclaimed each year from private sources such as corporations, churches, labor unions and fraternal groups, Hemphill said. Corporations are able to grant scholarships because they receive a tax deduction and many of the scholarships students would not have to pay back, she said.

engler said a lot of money is not used each year by corporations because they do not send their employees to college, but it is unlikely students would receive any scholarships from that money. He said one reason for this is students would have to belong to the union of that particular company.

emphill said unlike governmental aid, there are no restrictions on grades or financial status. Rather, underclassmen can receive a scholarship on the basis of ethnic background, religion, career interests, expected college major, school and civic activities, parents’ union and parents’ military service, she said.

“Yes, it is more and more difficult to qualify for the guaranteed student loan (government aid) because it is need-based,” Rengler said. In the past GSLs were considered a luxury for families but he said this is no longer the case.

e said federal aid fluxuates depending on the government in charge. When a conservative government prevails, such as the existing government, finanial aid is scarce, he said.

The funding level for governmental aid has not decreased; however, the rising cost of education reduces the actual amount of aid students receive, Rengler said.

Information from students’ applications is fed to a computer which matches aid sources relevant to students’ qualifications, Hemphill said. There is about a one-month wait for the computer read-out of the sources and requirements of the scholarship, she said.