How Do I Pay for College?
A discussion on funding solutions with
Bradley Moore, Senior Advisor
Texas A&M University
With Help
Financial Assistance
• Grants
• Loans
• Work-Study
Scholarships
• Institutional
• Private
Scholarships
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Consult college/university scholarships website for
application procedures. Most, but not all, Texas
Universities have their scholarship applications available
at ApplyTexas.org
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Apply for as many private scholarships as you can find.
Consult your college counselor, GO Center mentors,
free scholarship search engines, corporate/organization
websites, such as:
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fastweb.com
scholarships.com
cbcfoundation.org
scholarships.tamu.edu
Financial Assistance
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Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) at fafsa.gov
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Priority Deadlines often in March.
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State aid priority deadline March 15.
What is the FAFSA?
• A financial aid application created by the U.S.
Department of Education.
• Collects important information about the students
family, such as:
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Income
Taxes paid
Family size, number of children in college
Demographic information such as address, social security
numbers, etc.
Required Information
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Social Security Numbers
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Parent’s Information (name, DOB, marital status)
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Tax returns, W-2/1099 forms, bank statements
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Household size
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Number of household members in college
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Non-retirement investment net worth
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Electronic signatures
IRS Data Retrieval Tool
• FAFSA information must now be retrieved directly
from the IRS unless your status is:
• Married filing separately
• You file an amended return
• You file a Puerto Rico or foreign income tax return
• If you cannot use the data retrieval tool you must
submit a corrected FAFSA using the tool as soon as
you are able, or be subjected to extra scrutiny. Contact
your financial aid office for more information.
IRS DATA RETRIEVAL TOOL

Opens feb 3
Verification
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The Department of Education and/or the receiving
institution may select your FAFSA for verification.
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This means you must submit documentation to
Financial Assistance office verifying the information
provided on your FAFSA.
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Copy of IRS tax return transcript, verification
worksheets and proof of identification are the
common requirements. Contact aid office for more
information.
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
• Amount family can reasonably be expected to
contribute.
• Stays the same regardless of college.
• Two Components
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- Parent contribution
- Student contribution
• Calculated by the Dept. of Education using FAFSA
data.
Financial Need Formula
Cost of Attendance
- Expected Family Contribution
_________________________
= Financial Need
Federal Pell Grant
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Federal Entitlement Program
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Cannot receive for more than 12 semesters
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EFC threshold: $0-$5157
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Amount: $602-$5830
Toward Excellence, Access and Success
(TEXAS) Grant
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Amount varies by university (up to $8000)
Texas resident
Not convicted of controlled substance crime
EFC less than $4800
Priority for meeting two of the following categories:
 Distinguished Achievement/IB diploma/12 hours
college credit (AP/IB/dual credit)
 TSI Readiness
 Graduate top 33% or have B average (80+)
 Complete a math course having Algebra II as
prerequisite
Texas Educational Opportunity Grant
(TEOG)
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Amount varies by community college (up to
$2700)
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Texas resident
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Not convicted of controlled substance crime
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EFC less than $4800
Top 10% Scholarship
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Amount varies based on funding
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Must be in top 10% of high school class
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School MUST receive valid FAFSA by March 15.
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Must have “financial need”
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Renewable with 3.25 GPA and 30 credits completed
Student Employment
• Work-Study programs offer students ability to
work part-time (10-20 hours/week)
• Wages earned through work-study useable for all
education related expenses such as:
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Tuition
Books
Housing
Personal expenses
Federal Student Loans
• Federal Direct Subsidized loan program
• Fixed 4.66% int. rate, no payments while in school, 10-25 year
flexible repayment plans.
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan program
• Fixed 4.66% int. rate, no payments while in school, 10-25 year
flexible repayment plans.
• Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
• Fixed 7.21% int. rate, payments deferrable while student
attends school, 10 year repayment plan.
Alternative Loans
• College Access Loan (CAL)
• Student loan program offered by Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board
• Parent as cosigner
• Fixed 5.25% interest rate.
• 10-20 year repayment depending on amount
• www.hhloans.com
Tuition Exemptions
The state has programs for students who:
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Were in foster care
Were adopted out of care
Were the highest ranking scholar for their school
Are blind or deaf
Are Texas Veterans or children of Texas Veterans (Hazlewood
Act)
Child of certain disabled/deceased Texas public servants
Visit www.collegefortexans.com for fact sheets & links to
other higher education resources for students
Misconceptions about
Applying for Financial Aid
My Parent’s Income is too High to Apply for
Aid
• Financial aid is intended to make a college education
available to families in a number of different financial
situations; everyone qualifies for something.
• Income is only one of many factors considered.
• A growing number of institutional and private
scholarships require that students fill out the FAFSA as
part of their application process.
My Grandparents/Guardian can provide their
Income Information on my FAFSA
• If your parent(s) are still alive, federal guidelines
require that biological parent’s information be used
to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) unless someone else is your legal
guardian or you have a severe extenuating
circumstance.
• Legal guardianship must be court ordered; students
stating they live with guardians MUST provide court
documents proving such.
My Stepparent does not Have to Provide Income
Information on my FAFSA
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Stepparent's information must be included on your
financial aid application if you lived in the stepparent's
household for 6 weeks (42 days) or more during the
previous or current year or if a stepparent contributed
more than $750 in "support" during the previous or
current year.
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"Support" means money for such things as housing,
food, clothing, transportation, medical care and
school.
My Parents are Divorced or Separated, which
Parent Should Complete the FAFSA
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The parent whom the student resided with the longest
over the last 12 months provides their information on the
FAFSA; both parents are not required.
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If you lived with each parent for an equal number of days,
use the income information from the parent who provided
you with the most support during the last 12 months.
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"Support" means money for such things as housing, food,
clothing, transportation, medical care and school.
Special Circumstances
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The FAFSA is a generic application that does not allow
consideration for issues not reflected in the tax return
information
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All Financial Aid offices have paperwork useable to
alert about special circumstances such as high medical
bills, reduced employment, job loss, etc.
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Visit schools financial aid website or call for more
information
Texas Application for State Financial
Aid
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Some students not eligible to complete a FAFSA may still
receive some aid by utilizing a TASFA
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These students would not be U.S. citizens or noncitizens eligible
for Federal Student aid but considered Texas residents for
education purposes, eligible for State aid under Texas Senate Bill
1528 (lived in TX and attended TX HS three years leading up to
graduation
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Application available at: collegefortexans.com or your
institutions financial aid website
I’m Independent of My Parents
Need Help?
Help is available through many outlets:
High School counselors
Financial Aid office at college/university you plan to
attend
Bradley Moore, Texas A&M University
Phone: 361-289-7905
E-mail: BWMoore@TAMU.EDU