This document provides information about financial aid for US and non-US citizens. It defines financial aid as money from outside the family to help pay for education costs. It outlines the types of financial aid including need-based aid, merit-based aid, and sources such as federal, state, institutional, and private funding. The application process involves completing the FAFSA and potentially other forms. Creative ways to pay include pursuing IB coursework, attending community college, and co-op education programs. Timelines are provided for applying in junior and senior years of high school. Additional resources are also included.
2. What Financial Aid Is
Terms & Acronyms
Types & Sources of Aid
Application Process & Forms
Creative Ways to Pay
Timeline
GOALS
3. Money supplied by a source outside the family to help pay for
the cost of education.
Basic premise of Financial Aid: Students and parents are the
primary source of funds and are expected to contribute to the
extent they are able.
Not based on what the parent’s would LIKE to pay
In reality, many colleges separate
Financial Aid (need-based)
Scholarships (merit-based)
WHAT IS FINANCIAL AID?
10. Need-Based Aid
Merit-Based Aid
Need-Blind Admissions
Need-Aware Admissions (Most US Colleges &
Universities)
TERMS
11. EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION
Parent’s Contribution
+ Student’s Contribution
Expected Family Contribution
Calculated ability to pay may not match
family willingness to pay!
12. DETERMINING NEED
Cost of Attendance
- Expected Family Contribution
Eligibility or Financial Need
COA
• Billable Costs: Tuition, Room &
Board, Fees, Health Insurance
• Indirect Costs: Books, Spending
Money, Transportation from Manila,
etc.
14. Federal Funding
Pell Grant
Stafford Loan
Perkins Loan (high need families)
State Aid
Institutional
Private
Student/Family
Community Organizations
Civic Groups
Religious Organizations
Businesses
Industry
SOURCES OF AID
15. Based on family’s ability to pay
Eligibility may vary
Cost of college
Availability of funding
College calculates family
contribution
College awards aid based on level
of need and available funding
Parent Plus Loan
Parent loan
Based on parent credit
16. Measure of Quality
Academic
Athletic
Artistic
Special Characteristic
Family resources not a factor
Award levels based on sponsors’
goals and funding levels
Always double check to see if merit aid is an “automatic”
process or a separate application.
18. Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA)
Apply for a PIN first
Apply online
Available January 1
Parent tax information
needed
Add schools you are
applying to (in ABC order)
Apply early and watch
deadlines
SAR approx. 4 weeks later
REQUIRED FOR ANY
FORM OF FEDERAL AID
WWW.FAFSA.ED.GOV
NOT FAFSA.COM
FEDERAL APPLICATION
PROCESS
19. http://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile
Verify if the university also requires CSS Profile
Beyond the FAFSA: Medical expenses, elementary and
secondary school tuition, home equity, variety of unusual
circumstances
Tailored to an institution
Popular with ED schools
CSS/FINANCIAL AID
PROFILE
“When we began using the CSS, we were
not trying to cut the amount of money we
were distributing – we were just trying to
do a better job distributing it.”
20. Divorced or separated parent information
Parent tax returns
Student tax returns
Other information to verify
Income
Assets
Family Size
Special circumstances
FORMS & DOCUMENTS
22. Research colleges and financial aid websites
thoroughly
Determine your actual level of need
Have realistic conversations about what you can
afford
Talk to representatives who visit ISM. They don’t
work for the Financial Aid office, but can provide
some insight.
Visit the Financial Aid office when visiting campuses
Check state residency requirements (CollegeBoard)
Get a social security number
Do well academically
JUNIOR YEAR
24. Get organized
Deadlines: Scholarship/Aid deadlines might be earlier
Complete college applications
Register for CSS Profile if needed
Get PIN for FAFSA
Gather information needed for CSS and FAFSA
Check each university’s website
SENIOR YEAR: 1ST
SEMESTER
25. January 1 – Apply For FAFSA
Print copies for your file
2-4 Weeks After FAFSA
Review SAR for accuracy
Make corrections if necessary
Notify additional schools that it is available
February – April
Receive award letters
Evaluate awards
Contact University if necessary
Make decisions
April – June
Follow university’s procedures
Send required forms
Signatures
Deposit
SENIOR YEAR: 2ND
SEMESTER
30. Defined as:
Students that will need a visa (F-1) to
study in the United States
INTERNATIONAL OR
FOREIGN STUDENTS
31. Institutional
Private
Student/Family
Community Organizations
Civic Groups
Religious Organizations
Businesses
Industry
SOURCES OF AID
32. Measure of Quality
Academic
Athletic
Artistic
Special Characteristic
Family resources not a factor
Award levels based on sponsors’
goals, institutional priorities and
funding levels
Always double check to see if merit aid is an “automatic”
process or a separate application.
33. Family ability to pay
Eligibility may vary
Cost of college
Availability of funding
College calculates family
contribution
College awards aid based on level
of need and available funding
35. Research required: know EXACT forms and
deadlines
International Financial Aid Form
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE
College-Specific Forms
APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL
AID
36. http://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile
Verify if the university also requires CSS Profile
Beyond the FAFSA: Medical
expenses, elementary and
secondary school tuition, home
equity, variety of unusual
circumstances
Tailored to an institution
Popular with ED schools
Fee based form
CSS/FINANCIAL AID
PROFILE
37. Parent tax returns
Student tax returns
Divorced or separated parent information
Other information to verify
Income
Assets
Family Size
Special circumstances
FORMS & DOCUMENTS
41. SEE YOUR COUNSELOR
Determine what your real level of need is
Research colleges and financial aid websites
thoroughly
Talk to representatives who visit ISM. They don’t
work for the Financial Aid office, but can provide
some insight.
Do well academically
JUNIOR YEAR
42. Narrow down to one school by May for Early Decision
Have all testing done by October
If not ED, then ED II
Check your ego at the door
Trust in your counselor
THE STRATEGY (SUBSTANTIAL NEED)
45. Get organized
Deadlines: Scholarship/Aid deadlines might be earlier
Complete college applications
Register for CSS Profile if needed
Gather information needed for:
CSS Profile
International Financial Aid Form
Check each university’s website
SENIOR YEAR: 1ST
SEMESTER
46. February – April
Receive award letters
Evaluate awards
Contact University if necessary
Make decisions
April – June
Follow university’s procedures
Send required forms
Signatures
Deposit
SENIOR YEAR: 2ND
SEMESTER
48. IB COURSE WORK
Credit Or
Scholarships
Did you know that most
Florida universities will
grant a full year of credit for
an IB Diploma score of 32?
Also Southern Methodist,
Ohio Wesleyan, U of
Minnesota, Oregon State,
and other public
universities
http://blogs.ibo.org/funding-opportunities/
53. Work, Make Money, Earn Credit at the
SAME TIME!
CO-OP EDUCATION
• California Polytechnic State
University, Sam Luis Obispo
• University of Cincinatti
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Johnson & Wales
• Kettering
• Long Island University, CW
Post
• University of Louisville
• UMass, Dartmouth
• Merrimack College
• Miami Dade College
• University of Michigan,
Dearborn
• Northeastern University
• Pace University
• Rochester Institute of
Technology
• University of Toledo
55. US View: Paying for university may require some
sacrifice (vacations, helpers, etc.)
Deadlines vary by institution
Write or call the institution if any information is
unclear or if there are any unanswered questions
(DO NOT ASSUME!)
Be prepared to provide documentation of family
resources
POINTS TO REMEMBER
56. Some aid requires you to re-apply every year
Some aid may be contingent on grades/GPA to
maintain aid
Keep copies of forms completed as well as
supporting documentation
Tax forms
Employer’s statements
Bank statements
POINTS TO REMEMBER
57. THANK YOU FOR
COMING!
This presentation will be posted on the HS
Counseling blog in the next week.
http://hscounseling.ism-online.org/
Hinweis der Redaktion
Federal law requires all US institutions to have this on their website to assess a more clear estimate of cost
Federal law requires all US institutions to have this on their website to assess a more clear estimate of cost
Federal law requires all US institutions to have this on their website to assess a more clear estimate of cost
Fee based
More comprehensive than FAFSA
Popular with Early Decision Schools
Feedback from a US institution that requires the CSS Profile: In terms of the CSS: we previously used the FAFSA to then award internal grants and scholarships, whether they be merit or need based. With that being said, enough essential data is left out of the FAFSA that it makes it very easy for people who have a wise account to appear needy when in fact they are not – all based on how they present income. Therefore, the CSS examines key areas that the FAFSA does not look at, like medical expenses, elementary and secondary school tuition, home equity, and a variety of unusual circumstances – and it given that the CSS is for the most part tailored to the institution, it combines this information with institutional goals and priorities to come up merit and need based scholarships. Mind you, this is institutional money, money that belongs to the institution as opposed to federal, so we are legally allowed to distribute it as we see fit. When we began using the CSS, we were not trying to cut the amount of money we were distributing – we were just trying to do a better job distributing it. For example, before the CSS, a family was not required to include information about any vacation homes – so with a clever accountant, a family could hide a vacation home and make it appear that they were needy, thus getting the same amount of financial aid as a legitimately needy family. But adding the CSS, we can see these additional properties, and redistribute aid to those who are in fact needy
That was a lot of information….and there is even more! Here is a great resource from the federal government for further research.
Fee based
More comprehensive than FAFSA
Popular with Early Decision Schools
Feedback from a US institution that requires the CSS Profile: In terms of the CSS: we previously used the FAFSA to then award internal grants and scholarships, whether they be merit or need based. With that being said, enough essential data is left out of the FAFSA that it makes it very easy for people who have a wise account to appear needy when in fact they are not – all based on how they present income. Therefore, the CSS examines key areas that the FAFSA does not look at, like medical expenses, elementary and secondary school tuition, home equity, and a variety of unusual circumstances – and it given that the CSS is for the most part tailored to the institution, it combines this information with institutional goals and priorities to come up merit and need based scholarships. Mind you, this is institutional money, money that belongs to the institution as opposed to federal, so we are legally allowed to distribute it as we see fit. When we began using the CSS, we were not trying to cut the amount of money we were distributing – we were just trying to do a better job distributing it. For example, before the CSS, a family was not required to include information about any vacation homes – so with a clever accountant, a family could hide a vacation home and make it appear that they were needy, thus getting the same amount of financial aid as a legitimately needy family. But adding the CSS, we can see these additional properties, and redistribute aid to those who are in fact needy