1. Financial Aid

2. Tuition vs. C.O.A Tuition – Cost to attend classes
C.O.A – Cost of Attendance. This includes housing, books, health fees, technology fees, etc. This is the total cost of attending college.

3. Funding Grants Scholarships Work-study position College savings plan
Military resources
Payment plans
Loans
“out of pocket”

4. Four Areas of Funding
Institutional – Money that comes directly from the college
State – HOPE & Zell Miller. Must create account on Gafutures.org
Independent Scholarships
FAFSA – Money that comes from the federal government.
Always grants and loans, not scholarships
Is available starting October 1st of Senior year
Needs to be filled out for any type of financial aid (HOPE & Zell included)
Based on need, not academic merit.

5. Private Scholarships Social & Civic Organizations Community Groups
Religious Affiliations
Employers & Private companies
Professional & Community Service Organizations
Gafutures.org scholarships search feature to explore local & national scholarships
Renewable & Tuition Only
If it doesn’t say renewable, it’s a one-time scholarship
If it's “tuition only”, it cannot be used to cover anything else

6. Gafutures.org Student needs to create account TODAY
Georgia’s primary resource to help students plan, apply and find affordable ways to pay for their post-secondary education
Students can send free electronic transcripts to any college in Georgia
Students can determine their HOPE & Zell eligibility on this website (the only place they can do this!)

7. FAFSA COA-EFC=Financial Need
COA-anticipated amount for tuition, fees, room, board and any costs established by each institution
EFC – expected calculation of factors from the FAFSA
Financial Need – estimation of additional amount needed for a student to enroll

8. Factors that Influence EFC
Independent vs Dependent Student
Family size/Number of students enrolled in college
Income
Assets

9. Factors that Influence EFC
Asset net worth means current value of the assets minus what is owed on those assets
Assets do not include:
The home in which you live
UGMA & UTMA accounts
The value of life insurance
Retirement plans, pension funds, annuities
Assets include:
Money in cash, savings and checking accounts
Businesses
Other investments, such as real estate (other than the home in which you live)

10. Federal Grant Programs
Federal Work –Study Grant
Only for part-time student employment
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Full time, undergraduate students only
Awards range from $100-$4,000
Pell Grant
Maximum award amount for : $6,095 (the lower your EFC, the more money you will receive)
Based on financial need, COA, full time or part time status
May not receive Pell Gant funds for more than one school at a time

11. Federal Loan Programs
Federal PLUS Loan – for parents of undergraduate students
Parent owns this loan
Direct Subsidized Loan 5.05% interest)
Student owns this loan
Interest is paid by the government while enrolled
Direct Unsubsidized Loan 6.6% interest)
Student is responsible for paying the interest on the loan

12. Completing the FAFSA
FSA ID – Two ID numbers: One for the student and one for the parent
Application available October 1st of Senior year
The prior-prior tax year’s information (2017 taxes)
Tool on FAFSA can pull in your IRS tax information
Must be filled out to be eligible for any financial aid or scholarships (HOPE & Zell included)
Takes about 1-1 ½ hours to complete

13. Georgia’s H.O.P.E Program
Scholarships
HOPE Scholarship
Zell Miller Scholarship
Grants – Pays for tuition at technical colleges
HOPE Grant
Zell Miller Grant
HOPE Career Grant

14. HOPE Scholarship
3.0 “HOPE” GPA – can only be found on student’s gafutures account
4 rigor courses – Counselor’s are verifying these courses are being taken
“portion” of standard in-state rated tuition amount (public)
$2,089 toward tuition per semester (private, in-state)
renewable

15. Zell Miller Scholarship
3.7 “HOPE” GPA, which can only be found on student’s gafutures account
4 rigor courses – Counselor’s are verifying these courses are being taken
1200 SAT or 26 ACT
Full standard in-state rated tuition amount; 1 credit hours maximum (public)
$2,308 toward tuition per semester (private, in-state)
renewable

16. Contact your Counselor
If you have any questions, please contact your student’s counselor
A-E – Marci Goodloe –
F-McD – Briawnna Brown –
McE-S – Kati Kong –
T-Z (and IEP students) – Kelly Brangan –