FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

FEDERAL STUDENT AID

Federal Student Aid is financial help for eligible students to pay for education expenses at an eligible postsecondary school (e.g. college, vocational school, graduate school). There are three categories of federal student aid: grants, work-study, and loans.

Step One: Complete the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA).

For FAFSA on the Web, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov. Using FAFSA on the Web is faster and easier than using paper. For the 2019-20 academic school year, it is essential that you complete your FAFSA between October 1, 2018 and March 1, 2019.

*For an estimate before official college enrollment, go to FAFSA on the Web and use the FAFSA4caster link.

Step Two: Review your Student Aid Report (SAR).

After you apply, you’ll receive a Student Aid Report, or SAR. Your SAR contains the information reported on your FAFSA and usually includes your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is an index used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid. Review your SAR information and make any corrections or changes, if necessary. The school(s) you list on your FAFSA will get your SAR data electronically.

Step Three: Contact the school(s) you might attend.

Make sure the financial aid office at each school, in which you are interested, has all the information needed to determine your eligibility. If you are eligible, each school’s financial aid office will send you an award letter showing the amount and types of aid the school will offer you.

SCHOLARSHIPS FROM INDIVIDUAL COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES OR TRAINING PROGRAMS

Once you know where you are going to continue your training/education, familiarize yourself with that program’s financial aid offerings. Visiting the institution’s Financial Aid link on the website and checking in with your school’s Financial Aid Office are the first steps. If your parents attended the college, check out the alumni offerings!

SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED BY ORGANIZATIONS OR GROUPS YOU BELONG TO IN THE COMMUNITY

Examples include scholarships offered by one of your parent’s employers; or a 4-H group; a church or synagogue; Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts; your credit union, bank or insurance company; Lions, Elks, or Kiwanis Clubs.

ON-LINE SCHOLARSHIP DATABASES AND ON-LINE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH.

Never pay money to get free money! There are plenty of free scholarship search engines and web sites that are available. It will take personal time and energy to find the scholarships that apply to you.

LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Local Scholarships are announced in the Counseling Office, usually in early May. These scholarships include those offered by clubs and organizations at PPHS (i.e., Sadd, Key Club) or community organizations (i.e., memorial scholarships, Kiwanis). *These are subject to change from year to year.