PPHS COUNSELING OFFICE
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.
The FAFSA will become available on October 1st. Make sure you fill out the FAFSA for the 26-27 school year.
Step One: Complete the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA).
To complete the FAFSA visit studentaid.gov. You will need to create an account if you do not already have one. Whether you're a student or parent, you'll need to create your own account to apply for federal student aid.
Helpful Videos
Create & Access Your StudentAid.gov Account Video
Gather Information Required to Complete FAFSA
Step Two: Review Financial Aid Award Letters
Every college or university that you have applied to will need to be added to the FAFSA. Federal Student Aid will share your SAI (student aid index) with each school you add. Based on your SAI, colleges will determine what aid you are eligible for at their specific institution. You will receive a financial aid award letter from each school that you apply to.
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.
ONLINE SCHOLARSHIP DATABASES AND ONLINE 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. These scholarships will also be shared in the Senior Year Guide.