Financial Aid
For many students, one of the biggest factors in making their decision on where to go to college is how they are ultimately going to pay for it all. The resources below are to assist in finding different ways to pay for college.
Types of Financial Aid Links to an external site. | Financial aid comes in many different forms and from many different sources. This summary will provide you information on where you can receive financial aid from and the differences between a scholarship, grant, and loan.
Financial Aid Checklist Links to an external site. | BigFuture provides a step-by-step guide for what students and families should be considering and preparing for from freshman year to senior year to get financial aid.
Financial Aid Scams Links to an external site. | Financial aid is provided to students based on multiple factors, such as family income and personal background. Because of the type of information you have to provide, it is important to avoid any scams that may be trying to take advantage of your need to find financial aid.
FAFSA Links to an external site. | The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a tool used by the government to provide federal and state grants and by a majority of colleges and universities to determine your financial aid package. It is important to note that both student and their parent(s) will need to complete the application and provide their tax information for two-years prior to when they would be submitting their college application. For those applying for the 2020 - 2021 school year, you will need to provide your 2018 tax information.
- FSA ID Links to an external site. | Students and parents will need to create an FSA ID, which is the username and password to access federal student aid websites such as FAFSA.
- Selected for Verification Links to an external site. | On your Student Aid Report (SAR), you may see a note about that you have been selected for verification. Your school may request additional documentation to confirm that your FAFSA form is accurate. It is important to know what specific documents your school needs and provide them by the school's deadlines.
While the FAFSA form may provide you aid from the college or federal/state programs, you should also apply for scholarships.
CSS Profile Links to an external site. | The College Board’s CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is an online application that collects information used by almost 400 colleges, universities, professional schools, and scholarship programs to award financial aid from sources outside of the federal government. After you submit your application, the College Board sends it to the colleges and scholarship programs you have chosen. Not all colleges and scholarship programs require the PROFILE application. Check with the ones you’re interested in to see if they require it.
San Marcos Career Center Links to an external site. | Within the San Marcos community, there are many organizations and people looking to help local students go to college. The Career Center website provides an up-to-date list of available scholarships and application deadlines.
College Board Opportunity Scholarship Links to an external site. | While you are researching and preparing for college, you can earn scholarships along the way. College Board has provided six different scholarships to award your college going efforts and completing all six steps can make you eligible to earn $40,000.
Fastweb Links to an external site. | There are thousands of scholarships available to assist students from all backgrounds and with all interests. Fastweb provide a scholarship database that will help you to find scholarships you can apply to based on your personalized profile