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Financial Aid 101:
What it is and How to Apply
Kerri Chaput Director of Student Grants and Scholarships South Puget Sound Community College
2 Financing Your Education What is financial aid? Where does it come from? What aid is available? Who is eligible? How do I apply? 3 What is Financial Aid? Grants Loans Employment opportunities Scholarships
4 Types of Need-Based Aid Gift aid: Grants & scholarships (need- based or merit-based) Self-help aid: Loans & employment (need- or non-need-based) 5 Goals of Financial Aid Primary goal is to assist students in paying for college & is achieved by: Evaluating familys ability to pay for educational costs Distributing limited resources in an equitable manner Providing balance of gift aid & self-help aid 6 Definition of Need Cost of attendance (COA) Expected family contribution (EFC) = Financial need 7 Cost of Attendance Tuition & fees Room & board Books, supplies, transportation, & miscellaneous personal expenses, including documented costs for personal computer Loan fees Study abroad costs Dependent care expenses Disability-related expenses Cooperative education program costs 8 Need Varies Based on Cost X Y Z Cost of Expected Family Need Attendance Contribution (Variable) (Variable) (Constant) 1 2 3 EFC EFC 9 Federal Methodology Federal Methodology is the formula created by Congress to determine the expected family contribution (EFC). 10 Types of Grants Federal Pell Grant Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) National SMART Grant (4 year)
FEDERAL GRANTS 11 STATE GRANTS
Washington State Need Grant (SNG), Gear Up Educational Opportunity Grants (EOG) (4 year)
Types of Grants 12 South Puget Sound Community College Grant Student to Student Daycare Grant Tuition Waiver INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS Types of Grants 13 LOANS Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program with funds provided by lenders (e.g. banks or credit unions)
Must pay back! FEDERAL LOAN PROGRAM 14 Employment Opportunities Federal Work Study (FWS)
Federal Community Service Learning (FCSL) Federal State State Work Study (SWS)
Literacy Work Study program Institutional Higher Educational Work Program 15 Scholarships Washington Academic Vocational Excellence Scholarship (WAVE)
Nurses Conditional Scholarship
Washington Scholars
For additional information on state aid programs visit www.hecb.wa.gov
State Scholarships 16 Scholarships South Puget Sound Community College Foundation Scholarship -Separate Application -Available in March and due in April - approximately $280,000 awarded in 07-08 Institutional Scholarships 17 General Student Eligibility Criteria Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in eligible program of study Must be pursuing degree, certificate, or other recognized credential Must be U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen Must be registered with Selective Service (if male & required) May not have eligibility suspended or terminated due to drug-related conviction 18 General Student Eligibility Criteria Must have valid Social Security Number May not be in default on federal student loan Must not owe overpayment of federal grant or loan Must be making satisfactory academic progress 19 Application Process Submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to schools deadline Most aid on first-come, first-served basis To ensure maximum consideration for federal, state, & institutional aid, make sure to have a complete file: Required application materials (Data Sheet) Meet application deadlines Provide required documentation (student specific) to the financial aid office 20 FAFSA Collects familys personal & financial information used to calculate students EFC May file FAFSA in one of two ways: Electronically via FAFSA on the Web Paper FAFSA
21 FAFSA on the Web
Web site: www.fafsa.ed.gov 2008-09 FAFSA available on or after January 1, 2008 Pre-Application Worksheet & built-in edits to help prevent costly errors 22 Paper FAFSA 2007-08 FAFSA is 8-page booklet containing: General & specific instructions 103 questions in 7 steps Worksheets A, B, & C Pre-addressed envelope to mail completed form & return-receipt postcard
23 FAFSA: Application Steps Step One- General Student Information Step Two- Student Income Information Step Three- Dependency Questions Step Four- Parent Information Step Five- Family Size Step Six- School Codes Step Seven- Signatures or PIN Number 24 CAUTION! Avoid being charged a fee to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Processes of completing & processing FAFSA are FREE If filing via FAFSA on the Web, be sure to go directly to www.fafsa.ed.gov Contact financial aid office for help completing FAFSA 25 FAFSA Processing Results What happens to my FAFSA? Your application will be processed by Department of Education Information sent electronically to colleges listed on FAFSA Students receive Student Aid Report 26 Where Do I Go From Here? Apply to Admission to the College. Take the Computerized Placement Test See an advisor! New student advising suggested Meet all application deadlines- first come, first served! Complete FAFSA Complete the Data Sheet Follow through with any additional documentation that may be requested Verification Worksheet and copies of tax returns Social Security Card copy 1-94 copy for citizenship match
27 Role of Financial Aid Office Notify student of additional required documents Determines aid eligibility using federal formula Packages aid depending on availability of funds Sends award notification including: Students COA Students EFC Amount of students financial need Award amount for each program for which student is eligible Consumer Information- you are responsible for this information! Financial Aid Orientation dates and locations
Must sign and return award letter by due date 28 Private Scholarship Search Scholarship Drawer in Building 25 Free Internet scholarship search engines: FinAid.org http://www.finaid.org The College Board http://www.collegeboard.com FastWeb.com www.fastweb.com Scholarship Resource Network Express www.srnexpress.com GoCollege.com: The Collegiate Websource http://www.gocollege.com 29 Private Scholarship Search Local library resources Local businesses & civic organizations Parents employers 30 Good Luck!
Contact our office with any questions
If you want to speak with an financial aid advisor one-on- one make an appointment or come in during our drop in times Kerri Chaput Student Financial Services South Puget Sound Community College (360) 596-5232