NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

 An important part of the college search process is knowing how to secure as much financial aid as possible. For high school seniors, this process gets into full swing on January 1^st when FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) applications can begin to be submitted. With two months remaining until this date there are still some important steps families can take to help prepare for this process. Here are three steps you can take prior to January 1^st to give you a running start with financial aid.

• 1) Get an estimate of your family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC). By visiting here you can get an estimate of your family’s EFC. This is helpful because with your EFC you can then determine your level of need at each college of interest. You will also be able to use this information to determine roughly what types of financial aid you may qualify for at each college or university.
• 2) Visit the website of each college you have been communicating with. Many colleges will provide either a financial aid estimator or a list of different institutional grant monies offered. This information is typically located under the “Financial Aid” or “Prospective Students” tab on the college’s main website and can help you better determine what types of financial aid you may qualify for at an individual school.
• 3) Begin your search for privately funded grants and scholarships. Federal, State, and institutional monies are not the only sources of financial assistance available for families. Many community service groups such as the Kiwanis Club or Lion’s Club often provide funding opportunities for local students to help defray the cost of attending college. In addition, there are websites such as College Board and FastWeb which list privately funded scholarships available to students. Most of these will require you to submit and application and compose an essay; however there may be several grants you could qualify to receive.

Completing these steps will help you get a firm grasp on the financial aid process so you can move into the new year equipped to maximize your financial aid award. As January 1^st approaches you can also visit FAFSA to learn more about how to submit the FAFSA online. Remember, there are a lot of steps to take when navigating the financial aid process, so preparation and research early will help relieve some of the stress of the upcoming months.

Tags: financial aid estimator, free application for federal student aid, high school seniors

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 12:24 pm and is filed under Financial Aid. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.