Financial Aid
To apply for Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, College Work-Study, and Perkins Loans, students must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) during their senior year. FAFSA forms are available after Thanksgiving. They may be mailed after January 1, 2010. You can also file online at www.fafsa.ed.gov between January 1st and March 1, 2010.
CSS Financial Aid Profile is an application for private aid funds. Profile provides the forms and questions that must be completed to apply for private aid at many colleges and universities. (Not all colleges accept or require Profile forms, so it is wise to check with a college regarding procedure for application for financial aid). Profile cannot be used to apply for federal student aid. The Profile is currently available in the guidance office.
All colleges offer various types of aid which may include merit-based and/or need based scholarships, grants, and loans. You are encouraged to file all forms - federal, state, and institutional - as soon as they become available.
Merit Scholarships: You can begin the search for merit scholarships at the initial stages of your application process. College merit awards are becoming increasingly important as more colleges award these grants to students they especially want to attract. As a result, applying to a college at which your qualifications put you at the top of the entering class may give you a larger merit award. Check with college admissions to determine if you must be nominated, or if your consideration for these awards is automatic.
Internet's largest free scholarship search www.fastweb.com
U.S. Dept. of Ed.
http://studentaid.ed.gov Information on Financial AidFAFSA
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
Web site to secure a PIN for the FAFSA
http://www.pin.ed.govMaryland Higher Education Commission
http://mhec.state.md.us
(Information on state funded financial aid)College Board
http://www.collegeboard.com
(Enter “Financial Aid” into “Search” box)Fast Web free scholarship search
http://www.fastweb.com
(probably the most used free site for scholarship search)Financial Aid information
http://www.finaid.org
(general information and links to other sites for scholarship search)Scholarship Resource Network Express
http://srnexpress.com
(good general information about financial aid and a free scholarship search)College Net
http://collegenet.com/mach25
(you are not required to give an e-mail address for this scholarship search)Scholarships.com http://www.scholarships.com
(free financial aid information and scholarship search)Fast Aid
http://www.fastap.org
(free scholarship search)Sallie Mae College Answer
http://collegeanswer.com
(walks students through the entire college search process including financial aid)Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
http://www.gmsp.org
(scholarships available through the Gates Foundation)U.S. News
http://www.usnews.com
(enter “Financial Aid” into the “Search” box to connect to general information)