Dollars and Sense: Affording College 101 for Juniors Class of 2017 Erika Del Rosario © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. E1

 Stand Up if you want to go to college after senior year  Stand Up if you have thought about an intended major  Stand Up if you have taken a college campus tour  Stand Up if you have met with your guidance counselor at least once this year  Stand Up if you have talked to someone in your family about paying for college  Stand Up if you have started to create a college list  Stay standing if you have an in-state public college on that list  Stand Up if your GPA is higher now than it was freshman year Stand Up, Sit Down

Who is uAspire?  uAspire helps make college more affordable for students and their families  uAspire’s service are always FREE! © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

Your Senior Year Schedule © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. Apply to Colleges Apply for Financial Aid Receive Acceptan ce Letters Receive Financial Aid Award Letters Review Financial Aid Award Letters Decide on a College and Make a Deposit SEP OCT NOV DECJAN FEB MAR APR MAY SEP OCT NOV DECJAN FEB MAR APR MAY Research and apply for scholarships Review SAR and update FAFSA

What is a “Financial Safety School?” A financial safety school is a college that a student will most likely be accepted to AND be able to afford May not be the same for every student due to factors such as Grades Family Income Location For many students, in-state public schools can be good examples of financial safety schools, including community colleges (2-year, public colleges) © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

Apply to Colleges Apply for Financial Aid Receive Acceptan ce Letters Receive Financial Aid Award Letters Review Financial Aid Award Letters Decide on a College and Make a Deposit Your Senior Year Schedule SEP OCT NOV DECJAN FEB MAR APR MAY SEP OCT NOV DECJAN FEB MAR APR MAY Research and apply for scholarships © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. Review SAR and update FAFSA

Types of Financial Aid Free Money Borrowed Money Earned Money Grants and Scholarships Loans Work-Study © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. Apply for Financial Aid

 FAFSA: Free Application For Federal Student Aid – Required by all colleges How Do I Apply For Financial Aid?  CSS/Profile: Form required by some private colleges FAFSA FAFSA+CSS FAFSA Apply for Financial Aid Research and apply for scholarships FAFSA © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY

CSS/Financial Aid Profile  Only required by some private colleges  Complete online at beginning October 1 st (be sure to check your school’s due date)  NOT free – $25 for the first school, $16 for each additional school  Can get fee waivers for up to 8 schools (determined by information provided on form) FAFSA+CSS Apply for Financial Aid Oct >> Nov >> Dec © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

DID YOU KNOW? AN FSA ID is a username and password that must be created to submit the FAFSA DID YOU KNOW? AN FSA ID is a username and password that must be created to submit the FAFSA Important Notes About the FAFSA  Apply online ( starting October 1 stwww.fafsa.gov  Priority given to students who complete FAFSA early, all money awarded is first come, first served!  You can prepare for the FAFSA by gathering the needed documents and by creating an FSA ID Apply for Financial Aid  Required by ALL Colleges  It is FREE! © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY

F ree A pplication for F ederal S tudent A id © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

Sample Documents Needed Tax Return W-2 Form © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

How Much Will I Have to Pay? E xpected F amily C ontribution FAFSA Brothers or sisters in college Family income Household size © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

What’s an EFC? What does EFC tell YOU? The minimum amount to pay for college Why do I care?Colleges and scholarship organizations use EFC to figure out how much money to give you E xpected F amily C ontribution © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

Your Senior Year Schedule © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. Apply to Colleges Apply for Financial Aid Receive Acceptan ce Letters Receive Financial Aid Award Letters Review Financial Aid Award Letters Decide on a College and Make a Deposit SEP OCT NOV DECJAN FEB MAR APR MAY SEP OCT NOV DECJAN FEB MAR APR MAY Research and apply for scholarships Review SAR and update FAFSA

How Much Do I Really Have to Pay? Cost of Attendance - Financial Aid Awarded = Estimated Bill Because you will receive different financial aid packages from each college, you will be expected to pay different amounts for each college Our goal at uAspire is that you will have an option that is affordable to you and your family! © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. Review Financial Aid Award Letters

Different Colleges, Different Financial Aid  Jerry got accepted to Green University and University of the Blue  Jerry has an EFC of 0 Green UniversityUniversity of the Blue Cost of Attendance$23,000$48,000 - Financial Aid$20,000$32,000 = Estimated Bill$3,000$16,000 © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. Review Financial Aid Award Letters

Outside Scholarships  Every year organizations give away millions of dollars in scholarships to college students. Scholarships are often awarded based on: Grades Community Service Need Cultural/Ethnic Background Research and apply for scholarships Apply for Financial Aid © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY

 To get scholarships you have to apply! Scholarships often require essays, recommendations, and transcripts Deadlines for scholarships are often early in the year, so start looking now! Outside Scholarships Oct >> Nov >> Dec >> Jan >> Feb Research and apply for scholarships © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved. Apply for Financial Aid

If any of the following apply to you, it is especially important that you connect with your uAspire Advisor EARLY in the year… I am neither a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident, or am not sure of my status I don’t live with my parents My parents might not be willing to share their information with me to complete the financial aid process I have been in foster care or have a legal guardian other than my parents REMEMBER: uAspire works with ALL students, no matter your GPA, residency status, or family situation! Special Circumstances © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

What Should I Do Now?  Keep learning about the financial aid process  Talk with your family about saving money for college and about the financial aid process  Start discussing: Considering options for your financial safety school Gathering information to complete financial aid forms Researching and applying for scholarships © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.

A few more ideas for over the summer!  Have you taken the SATs? If not, sign up and start studying!  The better you do on the SATs the more competitive you will be for scholarships $$$  Research some topics/potential majors that interest you  If you are interested in a specific area there may be additional scholarships for students pursuing that field  Talk to someone majoring or working in your field of interest  They may also have additional info about specific scholarships!  If you haven’t already, start creating a list of things you would like in a college:  Location  Size  Extracurriculars © uAspire Inc All Rights Reserved.