Financial Aid
Financial aid is money that assists students in paying for college. Grants, work-study, loans, and scholarships are intended to make college affordable. These funds can come from federal, state, school, and private sources to help you pay for school.
Two of the most well-known sources of financial aid are the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the California Dream Act. Both applications open on October 1st every year and have a priority deadline of March 2nd. These applications are entirely FREE and use information such as family size, number of people currently in college, and household income to determine how much money a student will need for college.
Students who have a Social Security Number (SSN) will be filling out the FAFSA application. Students who do not have a SSN can fill out the California Dream Act.
You will be filling out a financial aid application every year that you’re in college.
Completing the FAFSA Application:
Completing the California Dream Act Application:
Scholarships:
Scholarships are a free form of financial aid that can be provided by universities and outside organizations. The majority of scholarships come from outside organizations which can include businesses, non-profit organizations, etc. and just require students to fill out an application that usually includes submitting materials such as an essay or creative work.
Students can find scholarships on this spreadsheet created by the Counseling Department: here
Other helpful websites to find scholarships include:
Fastweb.com
Scholarships.com
Bigfuture.collegeboard.org
Cappex.com
Niche.com
Unigo.com