Financial-Aid Tips

SEHS Financial Aid Night 10/7/21

SEHS Financial Aid Night 10/20/22. Passcode: =QkiHe7& (include the = sign)

FINANCIAL-AID TIPS

  • MAIN SOURCES of FINANCIAL AID/SCHOLARSHIPS for COLLEGE
  1. Financial aid offered by college where student will enroll (i.e. PathwayOregon Grant at the UO)
  2. Federal and state government grants and loans (i.e. Pell Grant, Oregon Promise Grant)
  3. Private scholarships. These are often, but not always, one-time payouts of less than $5,000. (i.e. Eugene Elks Lodge Scholarship)
  • FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
  1. All high-school seniors (U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens) hoping for any type of financial aid should apply. Even if you’re not eligible for government aid, colleges and private scholarship donors often use the FAFSA to determine how much aid they will give a student. (This includes merit aid.)
  2. Submit ASAP after October 1st. Often funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
  3. File again for each year you attend college.
  4. Go to https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/sign-in/landing. The student and one parent should get an FSA ID (Federal Student Aid Identification). To determine whose parent information is required on the FAFSA, go to https://studentaid.gov/help/who-is-parent. Then go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa, and fill out the FAFSA for next school year.
  5. Need help? 2023-2024 FAFSA Walkthrough Video in English, 2023-2024 Espanol/Spanish FAFSA Walkthrough Video. These videos come from the Utah System of Higher Education, so some references to Utah may not be applicable to Oregonians, but it’s an excellent walkthrough video, nonetheless.
  • ORSAA (Oregon State Application for Aid)
  1. Seniors who have undocumented status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, and/or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) should fill out the ORSAA instead of the FAFSA.
  2. Submit ASAP after October 1st. Often funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
  3. File again for each year you attend college.
  4. Go to https://oregonstudentaid.gov/orsaa-filter.aspx to apply.
  • TO QUICKLY ESTIMATE YOUR FAFSA RESULTS
  1. Go to https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/.
  2. This site will estimate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
  3. Cost of Attendance (COA) at a particular college can be found on the institution’s website.
  4. COA minus EFC = your financial need (according to the particular college). Some schools offer to cover 100% of calculated financial need when they send out financial-aid offers to students.  Some don’t.
  • CSS PROFILE
  1. Some selective schools require the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA to award institutional aid (money offered by the college).
  2. You may file online beginning October 1st at https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/.
  3. You should file no later than two weeks before the earliest priority filing date specified by your colleges or programs.
  • FINANCIAL AID PACKAGES consist of:
  1. Grants/scholarships (money which is not repaid)
  2. Loans (which must be repaid with interest)
  3. Work-study (part-time jobs on campus for students with financial need. Intended to be applied to college costs)
  • Financial-aid offers are made after admittance to a school and usually before April 1 of the applicant’s senior year. They are sometimes negotiable.
  • Contact the financial-aid office of your selected schools if you have any special conditions or unusual circumstances that might convince them to offer you more aid. Most schools have a specific process for appealing their original offer of aid.
  • If not clearly stated in your offers, ask the financial-aid office of your selected schools if outside scholarship amounts are “stackable” or will be subtracted from your aid package.
  • You do not need to pay for scholarship searches. The same information is available on the free websites listed below.

IMPORTANT DATES

Fall 2021

  • The Junior Project (Canvas course) is a graduation requirement for the class of 2022. Seniors who have not completed it are encouraged to do so while it is still relevant to their college search.
  • Seniors should sign up for their Senior Interviews. Appointments can be made here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12457345. Interviews take place with students’ counselors in the counseling office and are an opportunity to review college plans, clarify the application process, and discuss goals for life after high school.
  • For senior updates, access the counseling newsletter here: https://sehs.4j.lane.edu/class-of-2022/.
  • Hundreds of schools have eliminated the SAT/ACT requirement. Check each school’s website for their freshman-admission requirements for more details. Don’t forget that test-optional schools don’t require admissions test scores but do review them if they receive them. Test-blind schools to not review the scores at all.
  • The Oregon Promise Grant application can now be submitted. Apply here: https://app.oregonstudentaid.gov/. This grant covers most tuition costs at Oregon community colleges for recent high-school graduates with a GPA of 2.5 or higher. It is due on June 1.

October 2021

  • 1st: FAFSA can now be submitted.
  • CSS Profile can be submitted after you’ve submitted your FAFSA.
  • 24th: NACAC Virtual College Fair (National and International) from 10 am-3 pm.
  • 27th: Launch of SEHS (Virtual) Junior/Senior Night @ 7 pm.  This is a series of prerecorded video workshops pertinent to upperclassmen.

November 2021

  • 1st: OSAC Scholarships application can be submitted.
  • 2nd: NACAC Virtual College Fair (Arts & STEM) from 1-5 pm.
  • 9th: SEHS (Virtual) FAFSA Completion Workshop @ 7 pm via Zoom meeting.
  • 14th: NACAC Virtual College Fair (National and International) from 10 am-3 pm.

January 2021

  • Early: LCC Foundation Scholarships application can now be submitted

February 2021

  • 15th: OSAC Scholarship application early-bird deadline @ 5 pm. Error-free applications will be entered into a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship.

March 2021

  • 1st: OSAC Scholarship application final deadline @ 5 pm.
  • 2nd: LCC Foundation Scholarships application usually due around this date.

Spring 2021

  • Many local scholarships due

HELPFUL WEBSITES

How to Pay for College

Excellent overview of college costs and ways to pay for them by Oregon Goes to College

https://sehs.4j.lane.edu/career-center/scholarships/

Current scholarships vetted by SEHS career center volunteers. Many are from local and regional businesses and organizations.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-benefits-for-education-information-center

Information about education tax credits

www.fastweb.com

National scholarship database

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

College planning site

www.oregonstudentaid.gov    

Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC): Scholarships and grants for Oregon students including undocumented students

http://oregoncis.uoregon.edu/webcis

Scholarship database for thousands of scholarships.

Guest username: careersehs, password: ax1s; click on Explore Resources – Education & Training – Scholarship Sort (under Tools for Scholarships)

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