Applying for Financial Aid Applying for Financial Aid

Types of Financial Aid Gift Aid - Grants or scholarships that do not need to be repaid Work - Money earned by the student as payment for a job on or off campus Loans - Borrowed money to be paid back, usually with interest 2

Sources of Financial Aid Federal government State government Colleges and universities Private agencies, companies, foundations, and parents’ employers 3

Cal Grants Cal Grant A Entitlement Awards – for high school seniors and recent high school grads with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0, family income and assets below the state ceilings, who demonstrate financial need Cal Grant B Entitlement Awards – for high school seniors and recent high school grads with a GPA of at least 2.0, who come from disadvantaged or low income families, whose family income and assets are below the state ceilings, and who demonstrate financial need Cal Grant C Awards - for students from low income families pursuing vocational programs of study 4

California Chafee Grant The California Chafee Grant program provides up to $5,000 annually to current and former foster youth for college or vocational training at any accredited college in the U.S. based on available funding To be eligible, foster youth must have been in California foster care on their 16 th birthday and not have reached their 22 nd birthday before July 1, 2012 Foster youth are encouraged to apply during their senior year of high school To apply, the foster youth must complete: FAFSA California Chafee Grant Program Application To learn more about the Chafee Grant, go to: 5

Types of Applications FAFSA Cal Grant GPA Verification Form Other applications or forms as required by the college such as: 2011 federal tax returns (along with all schedules and W-2s) or other income documentation CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE Institutional Scholarship and/or Financial Aid Application 6

FAFSA Information & Tips File early, but no later than March 2, 2012 Use estimated 2011 income information if taxes are not complete at time of FAFSA submission Student and at least one parent whose information is reported must complete and sign the FAFSA 7

FAFSA on the Web 8 Internet application used by students and parents to complete electronic FAFSA at: Sophisticated on-line edits and skip logic so that errors are less likely to be made On-line help is available for each question Student and one custodial parent should get a federal PIN at:

Federal PIN PIN (Personal Identification Number) serves as the electronic signature on ED documents Both student and one parent need PINs to sign the FAFSA electronically May be used to: Check on FAFSA status Verify and correct FAFSA data Add additional schools to receive FAFSA data Change home and addresses If an address is provided, PIN will be ed to the PIN applicant within minutes Apply for student and parent PINs at: 9

Getting Ready Before starting the FAFSA, gather: Student driver’s license Student Alien Registration Card Student and Parent Social Security cards 2011 W-2 Forms and records of money earned and other taxable benefits 2011 federal income tax form (even if not yet completed) Records of untaxed income Current bank statements Business, farm, and other real estate records Records of stocks, bonds, and other investments Create a file for copies of all financial aid documents submitted 10

Section 1 Student Name The FOTW will ask for the student’s last name, first name, and middle initial Make sure to report the student’s name exactly as it appears on the student’s Social Security card JONES SUSAN 11

Double check the student’s Social Security Number when entering it on the FOTW. Both student name and Social Security Number will be compared through a database match. 123 – 45 – 6789 Section 1 Student Social Security Number 12

Section 1 Citizenship Status If U.S. citizen, status will be confirmed by Social Security match If eligible noncitizen, status will be confirmed by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) match. This includes: U.S. permanent residents with I-551 Conditional permanent residents with I-551C Eligible noncitizens with I-94 If neither a citizen or eligible noncitizen, the student is ineligible for federal/state aid, but might still be eligible for institutional funds 13

Section 1 Alien Registration Number If eligible noncitizen, write in the student’s eight- or nine-digit Alien Registration Number (ARN) Precede an eight-digit ARN with a zero Copy of the student’s Permanent Registration Card might be requested by the financial aid office

Section 1 Undocumented Students if the student is applying to any California public college or university, check to see if he/she might be eligible for in-state tuition/fee costs check with colleges and universities to see if institutional financial aid is available apply for all private scholarships for which the student may be eligible watch for changes in federal and state laws regarding the eligibility of undocumented or under-documented students start inquiring in elementary, middle or high school to see if it is possible for younger students to become permanent residents For more information and a list of scholarships, go to NOTE: if the student is undocumented 15

Section 1 Selective Service Registration Male students who are between the ages of 18 and 25 years must be registered with Selective Service to receive federal and state aid Answer “Register me” only if you are male, aged 18-25, and have not yet registered. The student may also register by going to: 16

Section 1 Student Aid Eligibility Drug Convictions If the student has never attended college since high school, check “I have never attended college” If the student has attended college since high school but never received federal student grants, loans, or work-study, check “I have never received federal student aid” If the student has received federal student aid and has never had a drug conviction, check “I have never had a drug conviction” 17

Section 1 Student Aid Eligibility Drug Convictions If the student was convicted of the possession or sale of illegal drugs while receiving federal student aid, the student will be asked to complete more questions about the drug offense Simply having a drug conviction does not mean that the student will be ineligible for federal and/or state student aid 18

Section 1 School Selection The student will be asked to select the housing plan that best describes the type of housing the student expects to have while attending each listed school The choices for housing are: On Campus With Parent Off Campus The student’s choice of housing may affect the amount of financial aid for which he/she is eligible. It is usually more expensive to live on or off campus than with parents or relatives Remember, selecting the On Campus housing option is not an application for On Campus housing. Check with the colleges/ universities for housing information when you apply for admission 19 An important question NOT on the Worksheet:

Section 3 Parent Information See Page 3 of FAFSA on the Web Worksheet about who is considered a parent –Biological or adoptive parent(s) –In case of divorce or separation, provide information about the parent and/or stepparent the student lived with more in the last 12 months –Stepparent (regardless of any prenuptial agreements) 20

Section 3 Who is Not a Parent Do not provide information on: –Foster parents or legal guardians If the student is in foster care or has a legal guardian, he/she is automatically considered an independent student –Grandparents or other relatives are not considered parents unless they have adopted the student In this case, the student must attempt to get biological parental information Colleges may use Professional Judgment to allow the student to file as independent 21

0 12,356 Section 3 Parent Information If the answer to any question is zero or the question does not apply, enter 0: Report whole dollar figures: Recommendation: If your parents have not filed their 2011 federal tax return, use W-2 forms and/or other employment records - such as final 2011 pay check stubs - to estimate total income Remember, rather than miss any filing deadline, use estimated 2011 income information (no cents) 22

Section 3 Parent Information If the student is providing father’s/stepfather’s and/or mother’s/stepmother’s information, the student will need those parents’: Social Security Numbers Names Dates of birth 23

Section 3 Parent Dislocated Worker The student will be asked to check if the father/stepfather and/or mother/stepmother is a dislocated worker A person may be considered a dislocated worker if he or she: is receiving unemployment benefits due to being laid off or losing a job and is unlikely to return to a previous occupation has been laid off or received a lay-off notice from a job was self-employed but is now unemployed due to economic conditions or natural disaster is a displaced homemaker 24

Section Additional Financial Information The student will be asked to report if his or her parents received or paid any of the following items in 2011 (check all that apply) America Opportunity, Hope or Lifetime Learning tax credits Child support paid Taxable earnings from work-study, assistantships, or fellowships Taxable grant and scholarship aid reported to the IRS Combat pay or special combat pay Cooperative education program earnings 25

Section 3 Parent Cash, Savings, and Checking Some parents may be asked to report the current balances of their cash, savings, and checking accounts as of the day they complete the FAFSA They may also be asked to provide information about the net value of their investments such as real estate, rental property, money market and mutual funds, stocks, bonds and other securities In addition, they may be asked questions about the net value of their businesses and investment farms They should not include the home in which they live, the value of life insurance and retirement plans, or the value of a family-owned and controlled small business 26

Section 3 Parents’ 2011 U.S. Income Taxes What was the amount parents paid in U.S. income tax for 2011? –Use U.S. income tax paid (or to be paid) not the amount withheld from parents’ paychecks An important question NOT on the Worksheet 27

Section 3 Parents’ 2011 Tax Exemptions Enter the parents’ tax exemptions for 2011 Be sure to include all persons being claimed on the parents’ 2011 federal tax return, regardless of whether they are included in the parents’ household size question An important question NOT on the Worksheet 28

Section 4 Student Information Questions in Section 4 are identical to the parent financial questions we covered in Section 3 If the student is single, ignore references to “spouse” If the student is married, also report spouse’s income and assets The questions in Section 4 ask: Which 2011 federal tax return the student filed or will file The student’s 2011 Adjusted Gross Income, if filing a tax return, and earnings from work as well as untaxed income and assets 29

Special Circumstances Contact the Financial Aid Office if there are circumstances which affect a family’s ability to pay for college such as: –Loss or reduction in parent or student income or assets –Death or serious illness –Natural disasters affecting parent income or assets such as the recent California wild fires, floods, or mudslides –Unusual medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance –Reduction in child support, Social Security benefits or other untaxed benefit –Financial responsibility for elderly grandparents, or –Any other unusual circumstances that affect a family’s ability to contribute to higher education 30

Application Filing Tips FAFSA on The Web Gather necessary documents ahead of time Complete a FAFSA on the Web Worksheet available at: Allow ample time to complete the online FOTW application for submission by the deadline Check the FAFSA on the Web for accuracy prior to submission Save all work periodically Sign the application using student’s and one custodial parent’s PINs Print out a copy of the FAFSA before submitting data Keep a copy of the Submission Confirmation Page 31

What Happens Next? Students and the colleges the student listed receive Student Aid Report (SAR) from federal processor  Students who complete FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form receive California Aid Report (CAR)  Students and families review SAR and CAR for important information and accuracy of data  Colleges match admission records with FAFSA and other required financial aid forms to determine aid eligibility  Colleges mail notices of financial aid eligibility to admitted students who have completed all required financial aid forms 32

Student Aid Report (SAR) After the student completes the FAFSA on the Web, a SAR will be sent to the student –An electronic SAR Acknowledgment will be sent if student provides an address –A paper SAR will be mailed if no student address is provided An electronic copy of the data will be sent to each college or university listed by the student in Section 1 Keep a copy of the SAR with other financial aid documents 33

Check Your Cal Grant 34 Open a WebGrants Account and you can: - Check your Cal Grant award status 24/7 - Make changes to your Cal Grant school choices - View how much a Cal Grant is worth at different California colleges and universities - See your Cal Grant payment history Sign up at: webgrants4students.org

Summary of the Financial Aid Process Submit all required forms, including the FAFSA, by each college’s published deadlines (but no later than March 2) By March 2, submit a Cal Grant GPA Verification Form Keep a copy of all forms submitted Review the electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) Acknowledgement or the paper SAR sent to the student Review the California Aid Report (CAR) Watch for financial aid award notifications from colleges to which the student has been admitted Be sure to apply for financial aid this year and every year as soon as possible after January 1 to receive the best financial aid award possible ASK QUESTIONS! 35

If You Need Help At Any Time FAFSA on the Web – Live Help Phone FED-AID ( ) the U.S. Department of Education at: 36