In education, financial aid refers to the many ways by which a student can receive financial assistance for the costs of tuition and college expenses. Students must file the FAFSA and/or CSS profile with the respective agency, qualifying themselves for aid by providing this eligibility data to colleges and federal programs. There are three primary types of aid that can be awarded to the student - loans, scholarships, and grants. Loans, either subsidized or unsubsidized, are lent to the student to be paid back with interest at a later date. More often than not, scholarships are based on merit, athletics or other achievements, though need might come into play. Like scholarships, grants too are awards that do not need to be repaid, except they generally originate from public funding.