Paying For Your Education
COLLEGE DOESN'T HAPPEN BY CHANCE!
Don't forget to check out the scholarship page!
FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOP WILL BE ON JANUARY 10, 2008.
Financial Aid PowerPoint Presentation
While financing your education is a big concern, it should not play a huge role in your college selection process. The reason I say this is because there are so many ways to finance one's education, that virtually anyone who gets into a particular school, can find a way to finance their education. Let me show you how!
First there's the FAFSA. This is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Mail-in applications are no longer sent to the high school; you must request one by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or 1-319-337-5665. The preferred method to apply is online, and the worksheet makes it easy. The FAFSA is accepted only after January 1 of the year you are applying for (i.e., January 2006 to start college in fall 2006), but you can apply for your PIN at any time to be able to sign your form electronically (the student and at least one parent must have a PIN to sign the form electronically). This is the preferred method, and results in both you and the colleges receiving your information much more quickly than mailing in the forms. When you file your FAFSA, financial aid administrators determine how much financial need you qualify for; they use a formula to determine the EFC (Expected Family Contribution). For a full explanation of this formula, click here for the EFC Formula Guide.
To make filling the information even easier, the government has developed a PDF worksheet that copies the web form line for line. We will have the forms available in the Career Center in January. These worksheets are for the 2008-09 school year; updated worksheets will be available later this year.
FAFSA On The Web Worksheet (Color)
If you need to find the Federal School Code for the schools you are applying to, FAFSA on the Web Federal School Code Search can find them quickly and easily. These codes may also be downloaded in a large PDF document.
The U.S. Department of Education has several major financial aid programs to help students meet post secondary costs; in general, to qualify for these programs the student must show financial need, must enroll as a regular student in an eligible program at an eligible school, must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, and must meet the school's satisfactory academic progress standards in his or her course of study.
To name a few of the federally funded programs:
State funding is also available to students. We encourage each senior to submit a GPA Verification form (also known as the Cal Grant) before the due date of March 2 to the Career Center or the registrar in the counseling office. To receive state funds, the FAFSA must also be submitted by March 2. These must be reapplied for each year. Now you can check the status of your Cal Grant online. Go to the Cal Grant website and click on WebGrants for Students. You will create an account with a username and password so you can check it at any time. Complete instructions are located here in PDF format. The Income and Asset Ceiling table is located here. GPA Verification forms are available in the Career Center or click here to download. Turn in to the Career Center or the Registrar in the Counseling Office.
Please report any broken links to ewood@fuhsd.net. Thank you!