Comments (48)
| If your student takes a year off to travel and do service, how does said student approach the financial aid system for the following year's entry to college? Thank you for your advice. | ||||
 | The financial aid process is a yearly application so you and the student would fill out the FAFSA in January of the following year. The great thing about having it online is that you can save the record with a password, fill in your information, sign with your PIN that remains your electronic signature and the student can get into the record to fill out their information wherever they are in the world and use their PIN. In this situation it is important to stay in contact with the Admissions Office at the school the student plans to attend to see if there are scholarships available that the student can defer for the year. | |||
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I am returning student (31 years old and married). I have 2 questions. Is it true that I might still need my parents' financial info even though I receive no money from them anymore? Also, I am at PCC, but am also applying for a program at Mt. Hood CC, which I won't know if I'll get into until April. Since I am submitting the FAFSA before then (Jan), which school should I list (or both?) and what should I mark as my goal for a degree, since it might depend on if I get into this program or not? Thanks. | ||||
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Students over 24 do not have to provide their information on the FAFSA for federal aid. There are some private schools (generally in the health professions) who want parental information to help them decide how best to use their institutional funds. You can list both schools on the FAFSA. In fact, you can list up to 10 schools on the FAFSA if you are not certain which school you will enroll in. | |||
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Hello, I would like to hear you talk about financial aid for graduate school, specifically at private colleges such as at Lewis & Clark College to do a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. I know that people who do their graduate study in engineering fields such as computer Science are able to get Research Assistantships and/or Teaching Assistantships to help pay for their program. As that is not an option available for me, what resources should I look at to help me pay for a Master's program at L&C; in counseling psychology? Thanks very much, Niki | ||||
| The truth is that most graduate students borrow to get them through their program. Some programs offer scholarships and we also recommend that students pursue departmental and outside scholarships. A fellowship or assistanceship helps by providing a tuition benefit and/or a stipend for teaching or research. Since you are asking specifically about Lewis & Clark, you will have to call the Counseling Psych Department for scholarship and grant information. | |||
| Have you any particular advice for seeking finanical aid for medical school? | ||||
| It would be the same advice I would give all students--contact the schools you are interested in to see what they have to offer and research online for scholarships and grants. | |||
| My son, from Portland, is going to a California State University through the WUE program. Due to that he is not eligible for state money from either California or Oregon. Is there anything besides the Pell Grant and Federal Work-Study that he would qualify for besides Loans? | ||||
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Hi Karen, We are in the same situation except that we live in WA State and our child is attending OSU. You are fortunate in that he can participate in the WUE program. OSU does not participate in that. If you get an answer on where to get assistance, I would appreciate knowing too. Good luck. | |||
| How fortunate that your son receives the WUE! The financial aid office generally offers all the aid they have available for a student. There are other grants such as SEOG, ACG and SMART that have very specific eligibility requirements. If you haven't already contacted the financial aid office at his school, you could inquire about his eligibility for those grants. | |||
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If you are applying for FAFSA are you better off to wait for your tax return to be finished or estimate and then revise?? What if the revision is significantly different from your estimate? | ||||
| It is best to estimate and to estimate as closely as you are able. Most schools have a priority deadline by which they are able to stretch limited funds to offer to eligible students. Missing that deadline does not mean that you will receive nothing; it does mean some funds may be completely spent. You want the estimate as close as possible so that when you do make your corrections the aid offer doesn't change drastically. | |||
| Hi, could you please address how CSS and FAFSA each treat 529 plans that are in the student's siblings names? Are these sibling's account "immune" from consideration by the colleges. | ||||
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I had to do a bit of research on this one since I haven't worked at a school requiring the CSS Profile in quite a few years. The Css Profile requires that 529 plans held in the sibling's name or owned by someone other than the parent--such as a grandparent--must be reported as an asset for the parent. The FAFSA only asks information about 529 plans in the student's name and owned by the student or parent. | |||
| I am finding that many families do not realize that there are colleges that require them to file the CSS Profile, in addition to the FAFSA. Failure to file the CSS Profile at a school where it is required, will result in less or no financial aid from that particular school. Participating schools are listed at collegeboard.com, but I would check individual college websites also, to make sure you are fulfulling all their financial ad filing requirements. | ||||
| Great advice, Kathy! | |||
| Like Niki T., I also would like information on help in financing graduate school, especially in Social Services related fields. Thank you so much. | ||||
| Please see the reply to Niki. | |||
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My son is in 9th grade. Is there anything I can be doing now and in the next couple of years to be ready for this process? I am a single mom with a single income and can't save for college. So I was thinking financial aid and scholarships will be his only hope of attending college. | ||||
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