FINANCIAL AID HOW TO APPLY, A CHECKLIST

Financial aid has helped millions of students continue their education. If you think you need outside help, your chances

of getting it are best if you apply in the right way at the right time.

This checklist may help you to get -- and to stay -- on track.

Write to the admissions office at each college for an admissions application form. Ask specifically about financial aid in your letter, and request any forms or instructions. It is best to do this early in your senior year.

Make sure you know what forms you have to file when. Then as early as possible after January 1, 2001, complete the FAFSA & CSS Profile and send it to CSS. Be sure to list all the colleges, programs, and agencies you want to receive your Student Aid Report (SAR).

Fill out the FAFSA & CSS Profile (if applicable) and any other forms you must complete accurately and legibly, and give yourself plenty of time before the deadlines. Don't lessen your chances because your forms are so messy that no one can read them, or because they get held up in processing to correct information.

If you or your parents receive requests for additional information, respond promptly in order to speed up the handing of your applications.

If the colleges to which you are applying have their own separate financial aid applications, complete them as early as possible.

Check with Mrs. Nurse, school library, scholarship finding websites or public library for books, articles, and leaflets about financial aid. You may pick up some leads on student aid programs for which you are qualified because of your:

• academic achievement
• religious affiliation
• ethnic or racial heritage
• community activities
• organizational memberships
• artistic talents, athletic abilities, or other special skills
• career plans or proposed field of study

Find out if your parents' employers, professional associations, or labor unions sponsor any grants, scholarships, or loans.

Investigate community organizations (the Chamber of Commerce, for example) or fraternal groups ( such as the Rotary Club or Elks). Check with local churches, veterans posts, business and industry, and the PTA.

If either parent is a military veteran, you may be eligible for special assistance; contact the nearest office of the Veterans Administration for information.

If the college of your choice can't provide you with enough gift aid and work aid to meet your full need, or if your family can't come up with as much as the college expects you to pay, you may have to borrow. So take the time, early on, to educate yourself about loans. Learn about interest rates and repayment schedules and other terms and conditions related to loans --before you sign on the dotted line.

Review your award letters carefully. The Director of Financial Aid at each college and scholarship program is responsible for determining a student's need, knowing which funds a student is eligible for, and making a decision about who will receive financial aid and how much.

Close attention also should be paid to award notices and other communications from the state student aid programs and the federal student aid processor. Generally, payment of financial aid is made at the time a student actually enrolls. The financial aid office at each college can tell you how the payments from each aid source will be made to you.

If you have questions at any stage of the process, ask until you get an answer -- ask Mrs. Nurse, the colleges to which you are applying, or the programs from which you're seeking aid. Asking questions won't make you seem stupid; not asking a question that is important could cost you money.

Make a decision about which college to attend on the basis of your education and career goals. Formally notify the college whose aid offer you decide to accept, but let the other institutions know your decision, too, so they can free the money for other applicants who need it.

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD
Financial Kid Forms are available from Mrs. Nurse in the College Guidance Office in mid-December.

Useful Financial Aid Links