There are many different types of financial aid available from federal
and state government, college and private sources.
The major types of financial aid include:
Grants are awards typically based on financial need that do not need to be repaid. An example is the Federal Pell Grant. Eligibility often depends on your EFC and/or financial need. For example, the Federal Pell Grant is based on your EFC.
Scholarships are awards usually based on achievement or talent that also do not need to be paid back. You can search for scholarships for free at www.fastweb.com. Fastweb adds and updates scholarships every single day, and will send you email notification when there’s a new scholarship that matches your personal background profile. Also, your prospective college(s) may offer scholarships based on academic merit and/or financial need. Call the financial aid office to find out which scholarships are available to you and how you can apply. See the Scholarships tab for more information.
Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides part-time jobs for students with financial need. The jobs are usually available on or near campus. A list of available jobs can be found at the college’s financial aid office or student employment office.
Loans are funds that must be paid back, usually with interest. There are federal student loans, federal parent loans, and private or alternative loans. The good news is that interest rates for education loans are currently at historic lows.
However, you must demonstrate financial need for some loans, like the Federal Perkins Loan or the Federal subsidized Stafford Loan. Other loans, such as the Federal unsubsidized Stafford loan and the Federal Parent PLUS loan, do not depend on financial need. Private student loans may depend on your credit history. To find out more about loans, visit www.finaid.org/loans.
Education Tax Benefits are available to you and your parents when you file your federal income tax returns based on amounts you paid for college. The most popular education tax benefits are the Hope Scholarship tax credit, Lifetime Learning tax credit and the student loan interest deduction.
The major types of financial aid include:
Grants are awards typically based on financial need that do not need to be repaid. An example is the Federal Pell Grant. Eligibility often depends on your EFC and/or financial need. For example, the Federal Pell Grant is based on your EFC.
Scholarships are awards usually based on achievement or talent that also do not need to be paid back. You can search for scholarships for free at www.fastweb.com. Fastweb adds and updates scholarships every single day, and will send you email notification when there’s a new scholarship that matches your personal background profile. Also, your prospective college(s) may offer scholarships based on academic merit and/or financial need. Call the financial aid office to find out which scholarships are available to you and how you can apply. See the Scholarships tab for more information.
Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides part-time jobs for students with financial need. The jobs are usually available on or near campus. A list of available jobs can be found at the college’s financial aid office or student employment office.
Loans are funds that must be paid back, usually with interest. There are federal student loans, federal parent loans, and private or alternative loans. The good news is that interest rates for education loans are currently at historic lows.
However, you must demonstrate financial need for some loans, like the Federal Perkins Loan or the Federal subsidized Stafford Loan. Other loans, such as the Federal unsubsidized Stafford loan and the Federal Parent PLUS loan, do not depend on financial need. Private student loans may depend on your credit history. To find out more about loans, visit www.finaid.org/loans.
Education Tax Benefits are available to you and your parents when you file your federal income tax returns based on amounts you paid for college. The most popular education tax benefits are the Hope Scholarship tax credit, Lifetime Learning tax credit and the student loan interest deduction.
THE FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
Here's a video about the FAFSA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK0bbu0y5AM&list=PL23B9A23CD8DD82DD
Parents and students must complete a FAFSA application in order to be eligible to receive any financial aid provided by the federal government. States and colleges also use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for state (Cal Grants A, B, C) and institutional financial aid. The FAFSA must be completed in order to receive need-based financial aid.
Through the information provided on the FAFSA the amount a family can afford to pay for college is determined. Everyone should complete a FAFSA, even if they believe they are not eligible for need-based financial aid.
The FAFSA should be completed online at www.fafsa.gov. Both parent and student will need to create a unique FSA ID to they can electronically sign the FAFSA. This is a free service. There are some websites that claim to be FAFSA sites and they charge for completing the form – DO NOT pay for this service.
Want to know what college costs will be? Try this NEW fafsa4caster by visiting http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/, a new Web tool designed by Federal Student Aid to assist high school juniors, seniors and their families plan for education beyond high school. The student will receive: an estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by entering the information into FAFSA4caster, the potential Federal Pell Grant eligibility and reduce the time needed to complete the FAFSA when the student applies as a senior. FREE of charge.
Net Price Forecaster http://collegecost.ed.gov/netpricecenter.aspx
Net Price is the amount that a student pays to attend an institution in a single academic year AFTER subtracting scholarships and grants the student receives. Scholarships and grants are forms of financial aid that a student does not have to pay back.
Net price calculators are available on a college’s or university’s website and allow prospective students to enter information about themselves to find out what students like them paid to attend the institution in the previous year, after taking grants and scholarship aid into account.
View this video to find out what students say about the Net Price Forecaster: http://netpricecalc.devpost.com/submissions/5958-justin-remo-bilyana-net-price-calculator-video
Check out these social media sites: Twitter.com/FAFSA, Facebook.com/FederalStudentAid or YouTube.com/FederalStudentAid
