High School Financial Aid Night – Fall 2014
Applying for Financial Aid for the 2015-16 Academic Year
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): www.fafsa.gov.
During your senior year of high school, and each year after, apply for free as soon after January 1, as possible, for federal and state student grants, student employment, and federal student and parent loans. FAFSA Help Line: 1-800-4-FED-AID or 1-800-433-3243.
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FAFSA4Caster : FAFSA4Caster.ed.gov.
Tool that simulates the FAFSA experience for those not yet ready to file the FAFSA and provides an early estimate of federal financial aid eligibility so a family can plan ahead.
Is not the official form.
Federal PIN : www.pin.ed.gov.
Students and parents obtain your PIN, your electronic signature. The PIN allows students and parents to sign, complete, and review the following online: FAFSA, Master Promissory Note (MPN),
National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), Entrance and Exit Student Loan Counseling.
Federal Student Aid Information : StudentAid.gov.
Provides students and parents straightforward and easy-tounderstand information about planning and paying for college, videos and infographics, to help answer frequently asked questions about financial aid.
Federal Student and Parent Loans : www.studentloans.gov/.
Learn more about Federal student and parent loans, including repayment plans, deferments, forbearance and cancellation. In addition, complete Master Promissory
Note (MPN) and Entrance and Exit Counseling online for Federal Direct Stafford and PLUS Loans.
Oregon’s Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC): www.oregonstudentaid.gov.
Grants and scholarships for Oregon college students attending Oregon eligible colleges. Be sure to file your FAFSA in January. File your
OSAC scholarship application by the early bird deadline of February 15, or by final deadline of March 1.
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE ®: https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp.
The PROFILE is a financial aid application service of the College Board. Not all colleges and scholarship programs require the PROFILE. Check with the college’s you are interested in to see if they require it.
Federal Tax Benefits : IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education at www.irs.gov
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Scholarships are available from local, federal, state, private, and college/university sources. When searching for scholarships, start local, check with your parent’s employers, high school counselors, community foundations and libraries. Be sure to review college/university scholarship opportunities, and pay attention to their application processes and deadlines. See the state of Oregon’s scholarship application process above. And don’t forget to research scholarship opportunities on the internet. To get you started, try using a national scholarship search engine called www.fastweb.com. To view more scholarship search options check out scholarship searches at www.finaid.org
. Some scholarship applications may require you to complete the FAFSA. Beware of scams!
*For more ideas, speak with your high school counselor or mentor.
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High School Financial Aid Night – Fall 2014
Applying for Financial Aid for the 2015-16 Academic Year
You should have the following information and documents with you as you fill out the FAFSA:
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Your (the student) Social Security number
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Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are providing parent information*
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Your driver’s license number if you have one
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Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. citizen
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2014 income records, such as federal tax information or tax returns, including IRS 2014 W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are providing parent information on your FAFSA
• If you have not yet filed a federal income tax return for 2014, complete and submit the FAFSA using estimated tax information. You can make a FAFSA correction after you file federal taxes, the recommended way is to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) process within your FAFSA on the Web, which is available after February 6, 2015
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Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are providing parent information
Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including real estate but not including the home in which you live; and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are providing parent information
* Not sure whether you will need to put your parents’ information on the FAFSA? Check out “Am I Dependent or
Independent?” at www.studentaid.ed.gov/pubs or call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
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Apply for admission to colleges you have chosen. Prepare your applications carefully. Follow instructions, and pay close attention to the deadlines.
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Well before your application deadlines; ask your counselor and teachers to submit required documents
(e.g., transcript, letters of recommendation) to the colleges to which you’re applying.
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Use your college’s Net Price Calculator to help you estimate your costs and understand financing resources that may be available to you at the college.
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In December, obtain your Personal Identification Number (PIN) at
As soon after January 1, be sure to file your FAFSA at
Apply for scholarships. www.pin.ed.gov
www.fafsa.gov
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During February/March watch for these communications from your college:
 Admissions acceptance letter
 Student Aid Report (SAR) – the output document from filing your FAFSA
 Financial aid award letter
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During April, send in your admissions deposit (if required) by the college deadline.
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