JR TUCKER SCHOOL COUNSELING OCTOBER 22, 2018 Financial Aid Night JR TUCKER SCHOOL COUNSELING OCTOBER 22, 2018

Solving the Financial Aid Puzzle Ka Toya Wagner Virginia Commonwealth University Associate Director of Financial Aid Counseling and Outreach

What is Financial Aid? Financial Aid is any monetary resource used to cover your educational costs.

Types of Financial Aid Free money: scholarships grants Self help aid : work-study programs loans

Sources of aid: Federal Government State Government Colleges/University Private Organizations/Foundations Professional Organizations

WTF: WHAT THE FAFSA?!! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid Can be completed online for faster processing Determines family’s financial strength Self Reported

FAFSA Completion FAFSA is available on October 1st of each year and prior prior year tax information is used to complete income information. www.fafsa.ed.gov Student and at least one parent must create a FSA ID www.fsaid.ed.gov Parent is defined as a biological parent, stepparent or legally adopted parents. If your parent does not have a Social Security Number, they can enter all zeros 000- 00-0000 (signature page sent to Dept. of Education) Use IRS Data Retrieval Tool to import 2017 tax information Read Student Aid Report (SAR) MARCH 1 IS PRIORITY DEADLINE!!!!

What is Need? Most aid is awarded based on Demonstrated need: Cost of Attendance - Expected Family Contribution* Demonstrated Need

What makes up Cost of Attendance? Billable Costs Tuition and Fees Room and Board Non-billable Costs Books Personal expenses Transportation

What is the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)? - A measure of your family’s financial strength and is calculated according to a formula established by law. The EFC is calculated from the FAFSA. - Your EFC is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive. The school uses this number to determine what aid a student is able to receive.

When the Financial Aid Package is Not Enough: Outside scholarships 529 Plans Savings Installment Payment Plans Parent Loan (PLUS) Alternative Loan (Student)

Broken puzzle pieces: Make sure the FAFSA is signed with the FSA ID and password. Add your Social Security Number to your admissions applications. Know the priority deadlines for financial aid and merit aid. READ READ READ READ READ READ

J. Andrew Quinn & Peggy Hawthorne-Wood Reynolds Community College Financial Aid Department

Why Reynolds? Financial Aid Department

Community College Tuition $avings Tuition & Fees for Full-time Students (Excluding Room and Board Fees)   In-State resident  Colleges/Universities City of Richmond Costs per credit hour Costs per semester for 15 credit hours Reynolds Community College (18-19) 166.60 $2,499.00 Virginia Commonwealth University (18-19) $417 $6,255 Virginia Union University (18-19) $482.00 $7765.00 (12 to 17 credits) Randolph Macon College (18-19) $20,000

Program Options Transfer Option – Associate degrees that are transferrable to four year institutions Workforce Option – Skill-based degrees that are designed for direct entry into workforce in two years or less (certificate or Applied Associate degrees)

Scholarships Awards $350,000 Individual awards range from $100 to $4,000 One application January 3 – April 15 www.reynolds.edu/scholarships

The Honors Program at Reynolds Transfer program students College Placement (VPT; SAT (520M/500V); ACT (22M/21E)) 3.5 high school GPA Writing sample 2 letters of recommendation Additional scholarship opportunities http://www.reynolds.edu/get_started/honors/default.aspx

Brenda Jackson GRASP Advisor

How can you contact Mrs. Jackson? jrtucker@grasp4va.com When can you see Mrs. Jackson? Wednesdays from 9:00-3:00 at JRT by appointment Appointments can be made through Ms. Bedwell, the school counseling secretary, at 804-527-4606  

Last fall, the high school Class of 2017 left as much as $2 Last fall, the high school Class of 2017 left as much as $2.3 Billion in federal grant money for college on the table. -Justine Draeyer, President & CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

7 Needed Items To Complete the FAFSA Create your FSA Id Your Social Security Number Your Driver’s License number Your 2017 Tax Record Records of your untaxed Income Records of Your assets (money) List of School(s) you are interested in attending

Facts to Remember!

Jacqueline Smith School Counselor and Scholarship Coordinator

Some Helpful Websites www.jrtuckerschoolcounseling.weebly.com www.grasp4va.org www.fafsa.gov www.studentaid.ed.gov www.collegeboard.com www.finaid.org www.fastweb.com www.schev.edu www.cappex.com www.scholarships.com

Contact Information GRASP Advisor, JR Tucker High School Brenda Jackson- jrtucker@grasp4virginia.com Virginia Commonwealth University, Financial Aid Office (804) 828-6669 https://finaid.vcu.edu/ Reynolds College, Financial Aid Office 855-874-6682 Email: Finaid@reynolds.edu

Questions?