 Applying for Financial Aid  Types of Financial Aid  Key Dates  FAQ’s Ringling College of Art and Design Office of Financial Aid

A quick lesson from Silly, Smarty and Successful…

Why was Successful so successful? Because Successful looked everywhere…

Applying for Financial Aid  Apply for federal financial aid:  Apply for state financial aid:  Apply for scholarships:  Apply for loans, if necessary:

Types of Financial Aid  Federal Grants Federal Pell Grant - need based grant Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant - limited need based grant  State Grants Florida Student Assistant Grant - limited need based grant Florida Resident Access Grant - all Florida residents enrolled full time Florida Bright Futures Program - all eligible students enrolled  Scholarships Ringling Scholarships - complete FAFSA by priority deadline (March 1 st ) Community & National Scholarships - search/apply by organization’s deadline!

Types of Financial Aid Cont.  Employment Federal Work Study - on campus employment within various departments, paid bi-weekly  529/Pre-paid Based on official average rate announced every year  Payment Plans Finance balance due throughout the academic year, interest free!  Federal and Private Loans Federal Stafford Loan - amounts recently increased; H.R (deferred payments, low fixed interest rates, no “credit-check”) Federal Parent PLUS Loan - parents now eligible for deferment; H.R (fixed interest rate, “credit-check” required, receive up to cost of education) Alternative (Private) Loan - student is primary borrower and typically requires co-signer (variable interest rate, “credit-check” required, receive up to cost of education)

Key Dates  Apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship during your final semester of high school.  Complete the FAFSA every year before the priority deadline: March 1 st.  Apply for most external scholarships during the months of January, February & March.

Frequently Asked Questions  How many students receive financial aid at Ringling? Answer: 78%  What is the Ringling code needed for the FAFSA? Answer:  Is the FAFSA free? Answer: Yes, you should not pay anyone to fill out the application for you.  Does it really matter if I didn’t meet the FAFSA priority deadline? Answer: Yes, some financial aid programs have limited funds.  Do I have to re-apply every year? Answer: Yes, by the priority deadline!