Applying for
Financial Aid
2012-2013
Types of Financial Aid
•
Gift Aid - Grants or scholarships
that do not need to be repaid
•
Work - Money earned by the
student as payment for a job on or
off campus
•
Loans - Borrowed money to be
paid back, usually with interest
2
Sources of Financial Aid
•
Federal government
•
State government
•
•
Colleges and universities
Private agencies,
companies, foundations,
and parents’ employers
3
Cal Grants
•
Cal Grant A Entitlement Awards – for high school
•
Cal Grant B Entitlement Awards – for high school
•
Cal Grant C Awards - for students from low income
seniors and recent high school grads with a Grade Point
Average (GPA) of at least 3.0, family income and assets
below the state ceilings, who demonstrate financial need
seniors and recent high school grads with a GPA of at
least 2.0, who come from disadvantaged or low
income families, whose family income and assets are
below the state ceilings, and who demonstrate
financial need
families pursuing vocational programs of study
4
California Chafee Grant
• The California Chafee Grant program provides
up to $5,000 annually to current and former
foster youth for college or vocational training
at any accredited college in the U.S. based on
available funding
• To be eligible, foster youth must have been in
California foster care on their 16th birthday and
not have reached their 22nd birthday before July
1, 2012
• Foster youth are encouraged to apply during
their senior year of high school
• To apply, the foster youth must complete:
To learn more about the
Chafee Grant, go to:
www.chafee.csac.ca.gov
•
2012-2013 FAFSA
• California Chafee Grant Program Application
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Types of Applications
•
•
•
FAFSA
Cal Grant GPA Verification Form
Other applications or forms as
required by the college such as:
•
•
•
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE
Institutional Scholarship and/or
Financial Aid Application
2011 federal tax returns (along
with all schedules and W-2s) or
other income documentation
6
FAFSA Information & Tips
•
File early, but no later
than March 2, 2012
•
Use estimated 2011
income information if
taxes are not complete at
time of FAFSA
submission
•
Student and at least one
parent whose information
is reported must complete
and sign the FAFSA
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FAFSA on the Web
•
•
•
•
Internet application used by
students and parents to complete
electronic FAFSA at:
www.fafsa.gov
Sophisticated on-line edits
and skip logic so that errors
are less likely to be made
On-line help is available for
each question
Student and one custodial parent
should get a federal PIN at:
www.pin.ed.gov
8
Federal PIN
•
•
•
•
PIN (Personal Identification Number)
serves as the electronic signature on
ED documents
Both student and one parent need PINs
to sign the FAFSA electronically
May be used to:
• Check on FAFSA status
• Verify and correct FAFSA data
• Add additional schools to receive
FAFSA data
• Change home and e-mail addresses
If an e-mail address is provided, PIN will
be e-mailed to the PIN applicant within
minutes
Apply for student
and parent PINs at:
www.pin.ed.gov
9
Getting Ready
•
Before starting the FAFSA, gather:
• Student driver’s license
• Student Alien Registration Card
• Student and Parent
Social Security cards
2011 W-2 Forms and records of money earned and other taxable
benefits
2011 federal income tax form (even if not yet completed)
Records of untaxed income
Current bank statements
Business, farm, and other real estate records
Records of stocks, bonds, and other investments
Create a file for copies of all financial aid documents submitted
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Section 1
Student Name
JONES
•
•
SUSAN
The FOTW will ask for the student’s
last name, first name, and middle initial
Make sure to report the student’s name
exactly as it appears on the student’s
Social Security card
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Section 1
Student Social Security Number
123 – 45 – 6789
Double check the student’s Social Security
Number when entering it on the FOTW. Both
student name and Social Security Number will
be compared through a database match.
12
Section 1
Citizenship Status
•
•
If U.S. citizen, status will be confirmed by Social Security match
If eligible noncitizen, status will be confirmed by Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) match. This includes:
•
•
•
U.S. permanent residents with I-551
Conditional permanent residents with I-551C
• Eligible noncitizens with I-94
If neither a citizen or eligible noncitizen, the student is ineligible for
federal/state aid, but might still be eligible for institutional funds
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Section 1
Alien Registration Number
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If eligible noncitizen, write in the student’s eight- or
nine-digit Alien Registration Number (ARN)
•
•
Precede an eight-digit ARN with a zero
Copy of the student’s Permanent Registration
Card might be requested by the financial aid
office
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Section 1
Undocumented Students
NOTE: if the student is undocumented
• if the student is applying to any California public college or
university, check to see if he/she might be eligible for
in-state tuition/fee costs
• check with colleges and universities to see if institutional
financial aid is available
• apply for all private scholarships for which the student may
be eligible
• watch for changes in federal and state laws regarding the
eligibility of undocumented or under-documented students
• start inquiring in elementary, middle or high school to see if
it is possible for younger students to become permanent
residents
For more information and a list of scholarships, go to
http://www.maldef.org/leadership/scholarships/2010_Scholarship_List.pdf
www.latinocollegedollars.org
www.finaid.org/otheraid/undocumented.phtml
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Section 1
Selective Service Registration
•
Male students who are between the ages of 18 and
25 years must be registered with Selective Service
to receive federal and state aid
•
Answer “Register me” only if you are male, aged
18-25, and have not yet registered.
•
The student may also register by going to:
www.sss.gov
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Section 1
Student Aid Eligibility Drug Convictions
•
•
•
If the student has never attended college since high
school, check “I have never attended college”
If the student has attended college since high school
but never received federal student grants, loans, or
work-study, check “I have never received federal
student aid”
If the student has received federal student aid and has
never had a drug conviction, check “I have never had
a drug conviction”
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Section 1
Student Aid Eligibility Drug Convictions
•
•
If the student was convicted of the
possession or sale of illegal drugs while
receiving federal student aid, the student
will be asked to complete more questions
about the drug offense
Simply having a drug conviction does not
mean that the student will be ineligible for
federal and/or state student aid
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Section 1
School Selection
An important question NOT on the Worksheet:
•
The student will be asked to select the housing plan that best
describes the type of housing the student expects to have while
attending each listed school
•
The choices for housing are:
•
•
•
On Campus
With Parent
Off Campus
•
The student’s choice of housing may affect the amount of financial
aid for which he/she is eligible. It is usually more expensive to live
on or off campus than with parents or relatives
•
Remember, selecting the On Campus housing option is not an
application for On Campus housing. Check with the colleges/
universities for housing information when you apply for admission
19
Section 3
Parent Information
See Page 3 of FAFSA on the
Web Worksheet about who is
considered a parent
– Biological or adoptive
parent(s)
– In case of divorce or
separation, provide
information about the parent
and/or stepparent the student
lived with more in the last 12
months
– Stepparent (regardless of any
prenuptial agreements)
20
Section 3
Who is Not a Parent
•
Do not provide information on:
– Foster parents or legal guardians
• If the student is in foster care or has a legal
guardian, he/she is automatically considered
an independent student
– Grandparents or other relatives are not
considered parents unless they have adopted the
student
• In this case, the student must attempt to get
biological parental information
• Colleges may use Professional Judgment to allow
the student to file as independent
21
Section 3
Parent Information
•
If the answer to any question is zero or
the question does not apply, enter 0:
•
Report whole dollar figures:
•
Recommendation: If your parents have not filed
their 2011 federal tax return, use W-2 forms
and/or other employment records - such as final
2011 pay check stubs - to estimate total income
•
Remember, rather than miss any filing deadline,
use estimated 2011 income information
12,356
0
(no cents)
22
Section 3
Parent Information
• If the student is providing
father’s/stepfather’s and/or
mother’s/stepmother’s information,
the student will need those parents’:
• Social Security Numbers
• Names
• Dates of birth
23
Section 3
Parent Dislocated Worker
• The student will be asked to check if the father/stepfather
and/or mother/stepmother is a dislocated worker
• A person may be considered a dislocated worker if he or she:
• is receiving unemployment benefits due to being laid off or losing
a job and is unlikely to return to a previous occupation
• has been laid off or received a lay-off notice from a job
• was self-employed but is now unemployed due to economic
conditions or natural disaster
• is a displaced homemaker
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Section 3
2011 Additional Financial Information
The student will be asked to report if his or her parents received or paid any of the
following items in 2011 (check all that apply)
•
•
•
•
•
•
America Opportunity, Hope or Lifetime Learning tax credits
Child support paid
Taxable earnings from work-study, assistantships, or fellowships
Taxable grant and scholarship aid reported to the IRS
Combat pay or special combat pay
Cooperative education program earnings
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Section 3
Parent Cash, Savings, and Checking
•
•
•
•
Some parents may be asked to report the current
balances of their cash, savings, and checking accounts
as of the day they complete the FAFSA
They may also be asked to provide information about the
net value of their investments such as real estate, rental
property, money market and mutual funds, stocks, bonds
and other securities
In addition, they may be asked questions about the net
value of their businesses and investment farms
They should not include the home in which they live, the
value of life insurance and retirement plans, or the value
of a family-owned and controlled small business
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Section 3
Parents’ 2011 U.S. Income Taxes
An important question NOT on the Worksheet
•
What was the amount parents paid in
U.S. income tax for 2011?
– Use U.S. income tax paid (or to be paid)
• not the amount withheld from parents’
paychecks
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Section 3
Parents’ 2011 Tax Exemptions
An important question NOT on the Worksheet
• Enter the parents’ tax exemptions for
2011
• Be sure to include all persons being
claimed on the parents’ 2011 federal tax
return, regardless of whether they are
included in the parents’ household size
question
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Section 4
Student Information
•
Questions in Section 4 are identical to the parent
financial questions we covered in Section 3
•
•
•
If the student is single, ignore
references to “spouse”
If the student is married, also report
spouse’s income and assets
The questions in Section 4 ask:
• Which 2011 federal tax return the student filed or will file
• The student’s 2011 Adjusted Gross Income, if filing a tax
return, and earnings from work as well as untaxed income
and assets
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Special Circumstances
•
Contact the Financial Aid Office if there are
circumstances which affect a family’s ability
to pay for college such as:
– Loss or reduction in parent or student income or assets
– Death or serious illness
– Natural disasters affecting parent income or assets such as
the recent California wild fires, floods, or mudslides
– Unusual medical or dental expenses not covered by
insurance
– Reduction in child support, Social Security benefits or other
untaxed benefit
– Financial responsibility for elderly grandparents, or
– Any other unusual circumstances that affect a
family’s ability to contribute to higher education
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Application Filing Tips
FAFSA on The Web
•
•
Gather necessary documents ahead of time
•
Allow ample time to complete the online FOTW application for
submission by the deadline
•
•
•
Check the FAFSA on the Web for accuracy prior to submission
•
•
Print out a copy of the FAFSA before submitting data
Complete a FAFSA on the Web Worksheet available at:
www.fafsa.gov
Save all work periodically
Sign the application using student’s and one custodial parent’s
PINs
Keep a copy of the Submission Confirmation Page
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What Happens Next?
Students and the colleges the student listed receive Student Aid
Report (SAR) from federal processor

Students who complete FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification
Form receive California Aid Report (CAR)

Students and families review SAR and CAR for important
information and accuracy of data

Colleges match admission records with FAFSA and other
required financial aid forms to determine aid eligibility

Colleges mail notices of financial aid eligibility to admitted
students who have completed all required financial aid forms
32
Student Aid Report (SAR)
•
•
•
After the student completes the FAFSA on
the Web, a SAR will be sent to the student
– An electronic SAR Acknowledgment
will be sent if student provides an
email address
– A paper SAR will be mailed if no
student e-mail address is provided
An electronic copy of the data will be sent to
each college or university listed by the
student in Section 1
Keep a copy of the SAR with other financial
aid documents
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Check Your Cal Grant
Open a WebGrants Account and you can:
- Check your Cal Grant award status 24/7
- Make changes to your Cal Grant school
choices
- View how much a Cal Grant is worth at
different California colleges and universities
- See your Cal Grant payment history
Sign up at: webgrants4students.org
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Summary of the
Financial Aid Process
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Submit all required forms, including the FAFSA, by each
college’s published deadlines (but no later than
March 2)
By March 2, submit a Cal Grant GPA Verification Form
Keep a copy of all forms submitted
Review the electronic Student Aid Report (SAR)
Acknowledgement or the paper SAR sent to the
student
Review the California Aid Report (CAR)
Watch for financial aid award notifications from
colleges to which the student has been admitted
Be sure to apply for financial aid this year and every
year as soon as possible after January 1 to receive
the best financial aid award possible
ASK QUESTIONS!
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If You Need Help At Any Time
• FAFSA on the Web – Live Help
• Phone 1-800-4-FED-AID
(1-800-433-3243)
• E-mail the U.S. Department of
Education at:
FederalStudentAidCustomerService@ed.gov
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