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Financial
Aid & Scholarships
FOR A LIST OF SCHOLARSHIPS, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.
THE TWO MAIN FINANCIAL AID FORMS: FAFSA & CSS
I. FAFSA:The
Free Application for Federal Student Aid must be filed by ALL Year
2 students applying for financial aid. The FAFSA can be filed as early
as January 1 of Y2 (it is not available before) and we encourage
families to file by January 15th or February 1st at the latest
(check with the schools for their deadlines). Families should use
the previous year’s income tax
return forms and estimate, to the best of their knowledge, any changes.
If need be, a FAFSA correction can be filed once the current year’s tax
return is completed. Students can enter up to six schools on the FAFSA.
Additional schools can be added by using the FAFSA correction form.
Paper FAFSAs wil be available in the CTO this December. However, online
filing (www.fafsa.ed.gov)
is recommended—it speeds up the financial
aid process significantly.
FAFSA HOTLINE:
1-800-433-3243 (Open Monday thru Friday from 8 am-12:00
midnight, and Sat. 9 am - 6 pm). If you are filling out the FAFSA
and have questions, this is a great resource.
IMPORTANT FAFSA LINGO:
- EFC: The Estimated
Family Contribution is the amount of money the
federal government determines a family can pay
for college based on the information filed in
the FAFSA. The EFC is the same regardless of variable
tuition, room, board and fees at different schools. PREDICT YOUR EFC WITH THE FAFSA-4-CASTER!
- SAR:
The Student Aid Report summarizes the information
reported on the FAFSA. If the FAFSA was filed
correctly, the EFC will be included in the SAR.
Schools review a student’s SAR and EFC to
come up with a financial aid package.
II. CSS PFOFILE:
The CSS or College Scholarship Search Profile is an additional
financial aid form that is required by some schools--typically private
colleges. The form must be filed in addition to the FAFSA. It can
be filed as early as this October at www.collegeboard.com
(under “Pay for College”). To find out whether a school requires
it, go to the Profile link on the collegeboard website for a list, or
check with the individual college.
CSS HOTLINE: 1-800-239-5888
(Open Monday thru Friday, 9 am - 6 pm). This is a great resource
if you are filling out the CSS Profile and have questions.
FOUR TYPES OF FINANCIAL AID (SEE BELOW FOR SCHOLARSHIPS)
Financial
Aid Package: Students receive a letter,
directly from the accepting institution with their
financial aid package. Ideally, the financial aid
package meets the difference between the total cost
of attendance (tuition, room, board, books, fees)
and a families’ EFC. To meet this difference,
colleges offer a combination of some or all of the
items listed below.
1. Grants
are funds that do not need to be paid back and do
not require an application. They are often awarded
by the accepting institution. Depending on need
and eligibility, there are also the following federal
and state grants.
- Federal Pell Grant:
The maximum award for the 2005-06 year was $4,050.
The maximum is subject to change. The amount a
student receives is dependent not only on financial
need, but also the costs to attend school.
- TAP: The New York State Tuition
Assistance Program provides up to $5,000 for New
York residents to attend schools in New York State.
- HEOP: Private
Colleges in N.Y. State have HEOP or Higher Education Opportunity
Programs that offer excellent academic and financial support for
students who meet the financial eligibilty requirements (for e.g.: to
be eligible, the income for a family of four will be $32,000 or
below). Click here for details of the program and a list of schools.
2. Work
Study: A federal program that gives students
financial assistance through campus employment.
3. Loans:
Financial aid that must be paid back
- Stafford Loans: these can be
subsidized (the government pays
the interest while a student is in school) or
unsubsidized (the student pays
all the interest, although they can defer payment
until after graduation). Stafford Loans are awarded
based financial need.
- Perkins Loan: This is awarded to students with
exceptional financial need.
- PLUS Parent Loan
- Private Loans
For further details,
visit: http://www.finaid.org/loans/studentloan.phtml
Student aid packages
can differ significantly and often play an important
role in where a students choose to continue their
education. For this reason, it is important to compare
packages carefully. Advice on comparing packages
is available at: “Comparing Financial Aid
Packages” at www.collegeboard.com.
Financial aid web
resources:
www.studentaid.ed.gov
www.finaid.org
www.collegeboard.com
(“Paying for College” section)
www.hesc.org
www.petersons.com
www.princetonreview.com
www.nycolleges.org
www.foundationcenter.org
www.uncf.org
Helpful Phone Numbers:
FAFSA HOTLINE: 1-800-433-3243
(Open Monday thru Friday from 8 am-12:00 midnight, and Sat. 9 am - 6
pm). If you are filling out the FAFSA and have questions, this is a
great resource.
CSS HOTLINE: 1-800-239-5888
(Open Monday thru Friday, 9 am - 6 pm). This is a great resource if
you are filling out the CSS Profile and have questions.
4. Scholarships
are funds that do not need to be paid back. Sometimes
scholarships are awarded by the accepting institution.
Students often apply for outside scholarships offered
by community organizations, foundations, corporations,
employers and the like.
There are many scholarship
web resources, some of our favorites include:
- One of the best scholarship resources is the New Visions Guide to Scholarships for NYC Students. Click here to download. A limited number of copies are also available in the CTO.
- Another fantastic scholarship resource,
that includes links to scholarship websites and to specific
scholarships, is posted by the OPTIONS program at Goddard Riverside.
Click here to go to their site.
- The BHSEC calendar has a limited
number of scholarships posted. There are many events on the
calendar though, so to make your search specific to scholarships, go to
the search function along the upper right of the page and
type "scholarship" (not scholarships). This will generate a list of
scholarships. Click here for the BHSEC calendar.
- www.fastweb.com
- http://www.intellistudent.com/academiclife/scholarships.php
- Unusual Scholarships
- www.hesc.com
- www.foundationcenter.com
-
www.uncf.com (United Negro College Fund)
- www.hsf.net
(Hispanic Scholarship Fund)
- www.wiredscholar.com
Wendy’s High School
Heisman
Requirements: GPA of 3.0 and must participate in at least 1
high school sport
Due date: October 1 (apply online)
www.wendysheisman.com
Coca-Cola Scholars
Foundations
Awards $3 million to 250 students
Requirements: GPA of 3.0
Due date: October 31 (apply online)
www.coca-colascholars.org
Questbridge National
College Match
Awards over $100 million in aid to 1,000 students
Requirements: families must make less than $60,000
Partnered with 26 colleges to provide aid and scholarships
Due date: September 30 (apply online)
www.questbridge.org
SPECIFIC SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS- You must apply to the specific
school AND complete the scholarship applications
Skidmore College
Filene Music Scholarships
Awards $40,000 ($10,000/year) to 4 students
Requirements: Must be a musician! Have to submit a CD with
the application. Do not have to major in music- simply have to take free
private lessons Skidmore provides.
Due: Early December for online registration and January 15,
2010 for CD www.skidmore.edu/filenescholarship
Washington University in St.
Louis
William H. and Elizabeth Gray Danforth Scholars Program
Awards full- or partial-tuition scholarship
To apply: get a form from the CTO and bring it to your
advisor by September 25 (must be received by October 15).
Due: October 15 for the advisor’s form; January 15, 2010 for
your application
http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships/programs/Pages/Danforth.aspx
For other scholarships:
http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships/programs/Pages/default.aspx
Boston College
Presidential Scholars
15 full-tuition scholarships renewable for all 4 years
To apply, you simply apply early action to BC- there’s no
separate application!
Due: November 1 (apply online)
http://www.bc.edu/admission/undergrad/home.html
Emory University
Emory Scholars Program
Awards 25 full cost scholarships and 50 full-tuition
scholarships
To apply: get the application from CTO and get Ms. Cheikes
to sign it. Complete your part, and then
give it to a teacher for them to complete a recommendation by October 9. Due: November 1 (this and the school
application)
http://www.emory.edu/home/admission/undergraduate/index.html
Emory University
Goizueta Scholars Program
Awards full- and partial-tuition scholarships
Requirements: High interest in business as this scholarship
guarantees admission into their undergrad business school!
To apply: get the application from CTO and get Ms. Cheikes
to sign it. Complete your part, and then
give it to a teacher for them to complete a recommendation by October 9. Due: November 1 (this and the online school
application)
http://www.college.emory.edu/current/achievement/scholars/prospective.html
(other scholarships available at the website)
Texas A&M
University
Awards over $100 million in scholarships each year to 2,500
students
To apply: Simply complete the scholarship section on the
college application
Due: December 1 (apply online)
www.applytexas.org
Wendy’s High School
Heisman
Requirements: GPA of 3.0 and must participate in at least 1
high school sport
Due date: October 1 (apply online)
www.wendysheisman.com
Coca-Cola Scholars
Foundations
Awards $3 million to 250 students
Requirements: GPA of 3.0
Due date: October 31 (apply online)
www.coca-colascholars.org
Questbridge National
College Match
Awards over $100 million in aid to 1,000 students
Requirements: families must make less than $60,000
Partnered with 26 colleges to provide aid and scholarships
Due date: September 30 (apply online)
www.questbridge.org
SPECIFIC SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS- You must apply to the specific
school AND complete the scholarship applications
Skidmore College
Filene Music Scholarships
Awards $40,000 ($10,000/year) to 4 students
Requirements: Must be a musician! Have to submit a CD with
the application. Do not have to major in music- simply have to take free
private lessons Skidmore provides.
Due: Early December for online registration and January 15,
2010 for CD www.skidmore.edu/filenescholarship
Washington University in St.
Louis
William H. and Elizabeth Gray Danforth Scholars Program
Awards full- or partial-tuition scholarship
To apply: get a form from the CTO and bring it to your
advisor by September 25 (must be received by October 15).
Due: October 15 for the advisor’s form; January 15, 2010 for
your application
http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships/programs/Pages/Danforth.aspx
For other scholarships:
http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships/programs/Pages/default.aspx
Boston College
Presidential Scholars
15 full-tuition scholarships renewable for all 4 years
To apply, you simply apply early action to BC- there’s no
separate application!
Due: November 1 (apply online)
http://www.bc.edu/admission/undergrad/home.html
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