F INANCIAL A ID AND S CHOLARSHIP P RESENTATION Presented by Mr. Bolton and Mrs. Buisch

PIN AND FAFSA PIN: Signature for Federal Student Aid Apply any time Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): Starting date for application: January 1 st *We recommend applying by February 15 th (estimate taxes) Information needed in order to complete FAFSA: Social Security number (student’s and parent’s) Driver’s license number (if existent) Federal tax returns and income information (W2)

FAFSA P ROCESS 1) Apply for a PIN - 2) Apply for federal student aid - 3) Receive Student Aid Report (SAR) via , review, and complete online Estimate taxes if not filed yet 4) Receive Financial Aid Award letters from individual colleges 5) Accept or appeal Financial Aid Award: *Note: Exercise caution if appealing. Students with unusual financial issues should contact the college’s financial aid office and explain their situation

F INANCIAL A ID R ESOURCES FAFSA resources: Online chat ‑ 800 ‑ 4 ‑ FED ‑ AID (1 ‑ 800 ‑ 433 ‑ 3243) or 319 ‑ 337 ‑ College financial aid offices Financial Aid Night – FREE Parent Financial Aid Seminar is the first Thursday in January after winter break

G RANTS Qualifying students can receive free money toward their post-secondary education in the form of grants Federal – Awarded by the federal government, based on family income State – Awarded by state organizations, based on specific criteria NY State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) – For students attending approved schools in NY.

L OANS Loans allow students to borrow money and repay in increments with varying interest rates Federal Loans - Usually offer low interest rates Subsidized Stafford loans – Based on income Unsubsidized Stafford loans – Available to all students Plus loans – Parents can obtain to help pay for education Consolidation loans – Combines multiple loans into one payment State Loans – The New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELPS): Offered to students who have exhausted all federal, state, and institutional aid Private Loans – Higher interest rates, often available through banks

S CHOLARSHIPS Scholarships reward money to students to help fund post-secondary education Reasons to apply for scholarships: 1) Free money! 2) Awarded for various criteria 3) If you can’t pay for college, you can’t go 4) Less to pay back later 5) There is NO good reason not to apply

S CHOLARSHIP P ACKET R EVIEW 1) Fill out information on front page of packet 2) Highlight names of scholarships in packet for which you are qualified to receive 3) Drop packet off with Mrs. Oas in the SCO: *Please be patient and give her hours 4) Pick up scholarship packet in the SCO 5) Fill out applications for scholarships 6) Ask at least three people for letters of recommendation: a) Give these people two week’s notice b) Send them “thank you” letters

A DDITIONAL S CHOLARSHIP R ESOURCES SCO - Visit weekly for additional scholarship opportunities College and financial aid websites (see attached list) Free scholarship search:

BEWARE OF SCAMS Be cautious of certain businesses, websites, and seminars that promise money toward college in exchange for payment for their services These may appear to offer legitimate services but are actually charging money for free information There are plenty of resources, including the SCO, which provide free scholarship information A list of legitimate websites is provided on the second page of the scholarship packet

Q UESTIONS ? C OMMENTS ?