1. A Day in the Life of College Admissions for Virginia Tech Alumni and Their High School Students SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID Presented by: VIRGINIA TECH Dr. Barry W. Simmons Sr July 11, 2008

2. WHAT IS FINANCIAL AID? FUNDS THAT ARE AWARDED THROUGH INDIVIDUAL COLLEGES TO HELP STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES PAY FOR COLLEGE

3. WHAT DOES IT COST? TRAVEL OTHER ROOM/BOARD TUITION/FEES BOOKS PERSONAL

4. HOW TO APPLY Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) CSS Profile, if required Institutional form, if required Know the deadlines VT = 3/11

5. FILE THE FAFSA ON-LINE HTTP://WWW.FAFSA.ED.GOV

6. STUDENT/PARENT INVOLVEMENT FOLLOW-UP

7. INFORMATION REQUIRED PERSL INFO PLANS INCOME ASSETS COLLEGES SIGNATURE PERSL INFO INCOME ASSETS SIGNATURE

8. Are your parents divorced or separated? WHO IS MY PARENT? Who did you live with the most in the last 12 months? If you lived with each an equal amount of time; who provided the most financial support? Re-married parents must supply their spouse’s income even if they file separate tax returns ?

9. THREE COMMON MISTAKES  Missing published deadlines  Inaccurate or incomplete data on FAFSA  Not submitting all required application material

10. FINANCIAL LITERACY Online Learning Tool – Account Mgmt/Checking – Budgets/Spending Plan – Loan Mgmt/Student Loans – Credit Cards – Identity Theft – Consumer Rights – Debt Mgmt – Other Benefits/Resources http://www.finaid.vt.edu/nestegg /

11. TYPES OF AID GIFT AID –GRANTS –SCHOLARSHIPS SELF-HELP AID –WORK STUDY –LOANS

12. GRANTS : Aid that is a GIFT…does not have to be paid back…“free” money

13. SCHOLARSHIPS ATHLETIC RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION CIVIC GROUPS BUSINESSES FIELD OF STUDY

14. WEBSITE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH FINANCIAL AID WEB PAGES EFC CALCULATOR http://www.finaid.org/

15. Scholarship Searches Free scholarship searches generally include over 400,000 400,000 scholarships with a combined worth of over $1 Billion College Board http://www.collegeboard.com/pay A FREE scholarship search provided by the College Board. FastWeb http://www.fastweb.com/ FastWeb also offers expert advice and how-tos on admission, financial aid, selecting a major, choosing a career and more.

16. FEDERAL WORK STUDY Allows the student to “earn” money for school

17. LOANS: Borrowed money that must be paid back; Student is responsible Low-interest

18. YOUR BEST FRIEND KNOW YOUR COUNSELOR VISIT THE GUIDANCE OFFICE ASK ABOUT LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS

19. FINANCIAL AID OFFICE CAN ANSWER BASIC QUESTIONS PICK-UP NON-SCHOOL SPECIFIC FORMS USE THEIR SCHOLARSHIP LIBRARY

20. Prepare for College – Planner, Courses Taken, Courses Needed Apply Online – Admissions application Select a School – Compare schools, Student Life, Costs Plan a Career – Self-Assessment, List of Careers Financial Aid – Programs, Deadlines, etc. Ask an Expert – FAQs THE INTERNET http://virginiamentor.com/ http://virginiamentor.com/

21. http://www.vipnet.org/portal/family/ colleges_universities.htm

22.  Start early - Look for scholarships Know the deadlines Know the forms required  Start your college file NOW  If you don’t know.........Ask SUMMARY

23. THE TASSEL IS….. …WORTH THE HASSLE!

24. VIRGINIA TECH OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID 200 STUDENT SERVICES BLDG BLACKSBURG, VA 24061 PHONE: (540) 231-5179 FAX: (540) 231-9139 EMAIL: FINAID@vt.edu WWWURL: http://www.finaid.vt.edu/