College Bound Scholarship Financial Aid FAFSA And other next steps…

Checking in…  How is senior year going?  How are your college applications going?  Please remember to seek help from people like your counselor, Mrs. Spellman, etc  Come to FAFSA HELP NIGHT January 6:30 pm

Filling out FAFSA to receive your College Bound Scholarship  College apps + FAFSA deadlines Even if you’re not done with your college applications, it is time to think about filling out the FAFSA  To be eligible for the College Bound Scholarship, you must fill out your FAFSA after January 1 and before Feb. 1! Fill it out… the sooner the better!

Basic FAFSA Information  What is the FAFSA? The Free Application for Federal Student Aid Required to apply for financial aid  Where do I fill out the FAFSA?  How do schools see my FAFSA information? When you fill out the FAFSA, you select which schools will receive this information If you haven’t finished your college applications, it is important to still have your info sent to the schools.

What comes next 1) On January 1, you can fill out the FAFSA! 2) You report financial information about you and your family 3) If your parents are divorced, you report the information for your primary guardian 4) It’s pretty easy to complete!  Step-by-step instructions for inputting information into boxes  YouTube videos guiding you through it

What documents do I need to fill out the FAFSA  A FAFSA PIN You can request your PIN before Jan. 1 on the FAFSA website You and your parents must apply for separate PINs  Your and your parents’ Social Security card/number or Alien registration card  Your driver’s license or identification card  Your and your parents’ income information (Bank statements; a W-2 or pay stub, if you have a job; past tax return, if you filed)  Any additional financial information  All of this information is in your handouts!

After completing the FAFSA The FAFSA estimates your Expected Family Contribution, or your EFC. This is the amount they think your family can spend on college costs. Your FAFSA is then sent to the colleges that you list. Colleges use the EFC to determine how much aid you will receive, including your College Bound Scholarship. In the Spring, college sends you your financial aid offer, which includes your College Bound Scholarship.

Important Information!!!  You can use last year’s tax return to estimate your current tax information and submit the FAFSA.  Changes can be made to your submitted FAFSA as early as 3 days after submitting  You must be a US citizen or legal resident to submit a FAFSA. However, your parents do not need to be citizens or legal residents.  If you are not a US citizen, the WASFA is the form you will fill out that gives you access to financial aid See your counselor or Mrs. Spellman for more info about the WASFA

What about the College Bound Scholarship?  You should receive confirmation from the College Bound Scholarship people that your FAFSA was received by them They will you within 3 weeks if you used an address when filling out the FAFSA Counselors will also track your FAFSA completion progress

Special circumstances  The FAFSA requires you list your biological parents’ information. See the FAFSA webpage for more info about: Living with guardians Being emancipated Divorce Parents’ unemployment

Last important information!  FAFSA help night January 6:30 pm in the Theatre  Finish your college applications! If you need help, see Mrs. Spellman or your counselor  Keep your grades up! Colleges will see your senior year grades at the end of the year!  Apply for scholarships! Continue to find more sources of funding for college!