The Sharon Academy

When students apply for college, they should also review the colleges' financial aid information.You will want to know the answers to the following questions:

• When is the financial aid application deadline?
• What forms are required for financial aid?
  • CSS/Profile is required for a number of private colleges.
  • Some colleges have an extra form in an addition to the standard state and federal forms.
• Does the college offer both needs-based and merit-based financial aid? 

Apply for financial aid when you apply for college, even if you think you may defer (to be eligible for certain scholarships that can be deferred).  

VSAC –Vermont Student Assistance Corporation:  

Free financial aid and scholarship assistance to Vermonters (and students who attend Vermont schools)! If you want money to help pay for college, apply through VSAC. They will also provide quite a bit of help and information in the process. We will give students the VSAC guides to applying for financial aid. VSAC also provides a booklet that lists a number of local, regional and state scholarships available. The deadlines vary considerably. Apply online or get further information at www.vsac.org or 800-642-3177.

FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid: 

This is the Federal equivalent of VSAC. You must apply with them as well. You may apply online or by mail, but the online and paper versions of these forms are very different. It is not very helpful to fill out the paper version prior to filling out the online version, but there is a worksheet available to collect your data prior to applying online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ There are benefits to applying online because you can check and revise information quickly. 

College Scholarship Service (CSS)/Financial Aid PROFILE 

If you are seeking needs-based financial aid, some private colleges and universities will require you to submit the CSS/PROFILE, which is administered by a division of the College Board. There is a fee associated with filling out this form, but the fee is waived at the end of the application if your financial situation indicates. If the school requires it, it must be done in addition to the FAFSA form. Read more about this at www.fafsa.com/profile.htm Always check with your college/university for its requirements. 

Scholarships 

There are many places to find scholarships for colleges. Many of these are small, but some can be rather large. Two major resources for use are as follows:

• Naviance offers a national scholarship list WITHOUT trying to sell you something (unlike many of the agencies with whom you may sign up). Guest Password: TSA 
• VSAC publishes a booklet each year that is a compilation of most of the state and local scholarships available. Students are provided these booklets in PATH class. 

Print resources:  

• Don't Miss Out: The Ambitious Student's Guide to Financial Aid (Leider and Leider/ Octameron Press)
• Financing College (Kristin Davis/ Kiplinger-Random House)
• Paying for College (Kalman Chany/ Princeton Review Press) 

Additional online resources: 

www.fastweb.com 

www.collegeboard.com 

www.financialaid.com 

www.finaid.com  

www.studentaid.ed.gov