Finding Money for College Information from the REVHS Counseling Center

What is financial aid? Money to pay for college or career school Overview of the Financial Aid Process Money to pay for college or career school Grants - Free $ (“Gift $”) Loans - Must be repaid with interest ( $ ) Work-study - Work at school and earn $ (tax free) Scholarships – Free $ (typically based on academic performance, but also religion, ethnicity, student interest, etc.) Financial aid is money for educational expenses for college or career school Grants do not have to be repaid (they are often called “gift aid”) Loans have to be repaid with interest Work-study is money earned by the student at a job (often on campus) that helps the student pay his or her educational expenses. This money does not have to be repaid. Scholarships are funds that do not have to be repaid. Scholarships are usually based on academic merit but can be based on a student’s interests, hobbies, religion, ethnicity, and/or financial need

What do I need to do to apply for Financial Aid FAFSA Pin FAFSA Application and/or CSS Profile Cal Grant WebGrants Account Scholarships

Free Federal $$$ for College File for the FAFSA Get a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov 2 Pin’s required: one for student and one for parent Add the notification e-mail address, FederalStudentAidPIN@cpsemail.ed.gov to your e-mail address book Don’t tell anyone your PIN! Students and parents can get PINs at any time. The student does not have to be ready to fill out a FAFSA. The benefit of a parent getting a PIN is that they, along with the student, will be able to sign the FAFSA electronically, thus speeding up the process greatly. Important to note here that student and parent need separate PINs – one each. To find out whether a parent’s information will be needed on the FAFSA, a student can refer to “Am I Dependent or Independent?” at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/pubs Some e-mail providers block e-mail that they perceive to be possible spam. Students should add the “FederalStudentAidPIN” e-mail address to their address books so that the notification e-mail will reach them successfully. It is important that the student and parent not share their PINs with anyone. A PIN is a signature as well as providing access to private information. To protect themselves from identity theft and other types of fraud, students and parents should not tell anyone their PINs.

Free Federal $$$ for College File for the FAFSA 2. Fill out your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov How to fill out the FAFSA Priority Application Deadline Saturday, March 2nd . Need help? Use “Live Help” icon or call 1-800-4-FED-AID. Don’t forget to print confirmation page.

After you have APPLIED for the FAFSA… Watch for response from FAFSA by e-mail Review your Student Aid Report (SAR)mailed to you Correct any mistakes and update any information as necessary Watch for your Student Award Letter Each school will tell you how much aid you can get at that school. Keep in touch with the Financial Aid Office at the College you accept admissions to The paper or online Student Aid Report will list the student’s EFC and will show the information the student reported on the FAFSA If the student estimated any tax or income information on the FAFSA, now is the time to correct that information. Many college financial aid administrators ask that the student contact them before making the corrections. Corrections can be made on the paper Student Aid Report or online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Online corrections can be processed immediately in some cases. The student will then receive a new SAR, and the school will receive updated information.

CSS Financial Aid PROFILE CSS Profile Fill out your CSS Profile online at CSS Financial Aid PROFILE (http://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile) The PROFILE form is administered by the College Scholarship Service (CSS), the financial aid division of the College Board. The CSS PROFILE is required by many private colleges and universities to determine your eligibility for non-government financial aid, such as the institution's own grants, loans and scholarships.

California Student Aid Commission WebGrant Account Create a WebGrants 4 Students Account (WGS). https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/logon.asp This account will: provide you with the resources, information and tools needed to assist you with the college financial aid process allow you to manage your Cal Grant and/or Chafee account(s) online by letting you view updates, make school changes, make address changes, make corrections, and post leave of absence requests.

Redlands Local Scholarship Application For: Senior planning on continuing their education (community college, college, university or technical/trade school) Prospective Scholarships Available: Staff Scholarships, PTSA Scholarships, Foundation Scholarships, Community Scholarships, etc. Applications must be completed online in January. Information will be available in the English classes, where students will receive login information. Additional information can be found at redlandsscholarships.org

Where can I get more info? California Student Aid Commission http://www.csac.ca.gov/ FastWeb www.fastweb.com/‎ www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov Information about aid programs Free scholarship search Free college search 1-800-4-FED-AID Help with the FAFSA

Watch the video: Myths of Financial Aid

Financial Aid True or False “I am applying to community college, I cant get financial aid.” “I have to apply for both the Cal Grant and FAFSA by March 2nd to be able to get my largest possible state and federal award monies” “There is a limit to the overall Financial Aid a student can receive” “It cost money to apply for Financial Aid” FALSE TRUE FALSE FALSE

Need Financial Aid Assistance If you need assistance filing for financial aid please come to the Counseling/Career Center.