Financing Your Education A Partnership between Government, School and Family.

Financing Your Education Government HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More The government works to determine overall aid for students. Your eligibility for aid is also established by the government. Aid regulations apply to all schools. State financial aid may also be available. Check with your state’s Department of Education.

Financing Your Education School HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Institutional assistance depends upon funding at each school. Financial aid eligibility will vary from school to school. School sets own eligibility requirements. Check with your school’s financial aid office for additional aid forms you may need to complete! Check with your school’s financial aid office for additional aid forms you may need to complete!

Financing Your Education Family HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is established by FAFSA. Your EFC is the amount of money you and your parents can be expected to contribute to your college costs each year. (FAFSA information is on the next slide.) A student’s EFC can change each year, depending on his/her family circumstances (parent’s income, other siblings in college, etc.)

Financing Your Education Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Eligibility for aid is determined based on your FAFSA results. Complete the FAFSA on the Web at: www.fafsa.ed.gov. Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st. Students can pick up a paper version at their high school, college or library. Check out FastWeb’s Step-by-Step Guide to the FAFSA (January 2007 Student Bulletin).

Financing Your Education FAFSA - Verification HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More About 1 in 3 FAFSAs are chosen for verification. When this happens, you must supply additional information as requested. Any requested information should be submitted to your prospective college as soon as possible, to prevent delays in your aid. If your FAFSA is NOT picked for verification, there is nothing else to do but wait for your Student Aid Report to come in the mail. This takes approximately 3-4 weeks.

Financing Your Education Financial Need HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Definition of Need Need is the cost of attendance (COA) minus your expected family contribution (EFC): COA – EFC = NEED The cost of attendance varies for each school, so a student’s financial need will also vary for each school. Use FinAid’s online calculators to help you determine your need: www.finaid.org/calculators The cost of attendance varies for each school, so a student’s financial need will also vary for each school. Make sure to compare financial aid offers! Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st

Financing Your Education Budget HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Cut Costs by Curbing Expenses Take advantage of free campus activities. - Buy used textbooks. Exercise credit card restraint. Carpool or take a bus when going home. Manage Money Wisely - Make a budget and stick to it! Be a Student Worker - Save as much as possible from a summer job. - Work part-time while in school. Consider Alternative Sources. . . Students who work part-time while in school tend to do better academically and manage their time better than students who do not work.

Financing Your Education FastWeb HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Use the Internet to find scholarship opportunities www.fastweb.com FREE personalized scholarship matches Over 1.3 million scholarships $3 billion dollars in aid available On-line applications E-mail alerts when new awards become available and deadlines approach Helpful articles, bulletins, and how-tos Expert advice on financial aid

Financing Your Education Scholarship Scams HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Warning! Beware of companies that do any of the following: Require a fee of any kind (including and up-front fee for a loan). Refuse to release their telephone number and provide only a P.O. Box where you can mail your check. Offer an award for which you did not apply. Promise to do all the work. If you think you are the victim of scam, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Submit an online complaint form or call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) for help. Website: www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams

Financing Your Education Scholarship Scams HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Guarantee you will win a scholarship. Claim you cannot get the information they have and supply anywhere else. Require personal information to “hold” the scholarship (like your banking or credit card information. If you think you are the victim of scam, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams

Financing Your Education Loans HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More FACT: Two/thirds of students (65.7%) graduate with some student loan debt. Rule of thumb: Do not borrow more than your projected first-year salary. Example: If your income will be $40,000/year, then you should try not borrow more than $10,000/year.

Financing Your Education Loans HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Federal Student Loans provide lower fixed interest rates, subsidized (government pays the interest while you are in school and the six month grace period after graduation), and offer a choice of repayment options. Federal Parent PLUS Loans can help supplement a student’s loan. The repayment obligation is on the parent. Private student and parent loans have variable but competitive rates, are credit-based, and have a higher loan limit than federal student loans.

Financing Your Education Tax Credits and Deductions HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More Hope Scholarship Tax Credit Provides a $1650 tax credit per student that is enrolled full-time. A reduction of your calculated tax for qualified, out-of-pocket expenses and expenses during the first two (tax) years of college. Financial aid/scholarships do not count towards qualified tuition. Lifetime Learning Tax Credit Up to a $2,000 tax credit. Applicable for students enrolled less than half-time. May be claimed for an unlimited amount of years. Student Loan Interest Deduction Up to a $2,500 deduction, even if deductions are not itemized. Loan origination fees and capitalized interest count towards the deduction. Students and parents can claim the deduction for past years by filing amended income tax returns. Hope & Lifetime are non refundable

Financing Your Education Savings Plans to Finance Your Education HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More IRA Early Withdrawal Provision for Education No penalty for early withdrawal of IRA funds to pay qualified educational expenses. Coverdell Education Savings Account Type of IRA in which contributions are made until the beneficiary reaches the age of 18. Prepaid Tuition Programs College savings plans guaranteed to increase in value at the same rate as college tuition. 529 Plans Contributions to this kind of savings plan earn money on a tax-deferred basis (like a 401k) and are also tax-exempt when used to pay for qualified education expenses. Speak with your financial planner about an IRA with education benefits and college savings plans!

Financing Your Education Best wishes for your success! HOW IT WORKS Government School Family HOW TO GET IT FAFSA Financial Need Budget FastWeb Scholarships Loans More This presentation was created by FastWeb Students complete a free scholarship search visit www.fastweb.com Educators find helpful resources, how-tos, and articles for your students visit www.fastweb.com/educator If you have any questions or comments about this presentation, please contact the Member Services Department at 1-800-FASTWEB(327-8932) ext. 3