How financial aid works
How Financial Aid WorksGet a PIN for you and your parents at www.pin.ed.gov or at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Send in your Cal Grant GPA verification form by March 2nd to:
California Student Aid Commission Cal Grant Operations
PO box 419077
Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-9077
OR give is to Ms. Campbell to mail for you!
Fill out your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or mail in a blue and purple paper FAFSA by March 2nd.
If you are applying to certain private colleges, you may need to fill out a CSS PROFILE form at www.collegeboard.com. There is a built-in fee waiver on the form. If your college doesn’t require a Profile form, celebrate—that’s less work for you!
Apply for private scholarships! Check out scholarships in the College Center or go to our website: www.hollywoodhighschool.net and click “counseling” then “college counselor” and at the top of the page are free scholarship search websites—get busy and apply!
You will receive a STUDENT AID REPORT (SAR) from the FAFSA [online in a few days if you filed it online and through the mail in a few weeks if you mailed out a paper FAFSA] and a CALIFORNIA AID REPORT (CAR) from the Cal Grant [through the mail]. Check both forms to make sure they are correct and look for the EFC [Expected Family contribution] in the upper corner of the first page to see how much your family is supposed to contribute towards the cost of your college.
If there are corrections to be made, fix them online [for the FAFSA, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and use your PIN number to access your personal FAFSA; for Cal grant corrections, use the form they send you with your CAR.]
From every college you list on your FAFSA that admits you, you will receive a FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER, usually by April. Compare your award letters to find out if you can afford the college that you want to go to. You may need to apply for student loans if your family has not saved money for your college education and the free grant and scholarship money doesn’t cover all of your expenses. Send in your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by May 1 for 4 year colleges to let them know that you are coming there.
Your money from all sources will arrive in account with your name on it at your college. The college will take out the money you owe them for fees and tuition (and housing if you live on campus) and write you a check for the remainder!
posted by College Counselor's Blog @ 6:05 AM
