Financial Aid

Financial Aid Tips for High School Juniors and
Their Parents

1. Familiarize yourself with the forms (even if just the names!): FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile
2. FAFSA is a one-step process with a starting deadline of January 1st. The CSS Profile is a two-step process (Pre-registration then application) that begins September 15th of your high school senior year.
3. FAFSA is free; profile requires a pre-registration fee plus a fee for each college/university listed.
4. Plan to have your tax returns completed AHEAD of schedule. Some colleges will require it for their own grant awards.
5. Make a list of all the various colleges/universities and the information required by each: financial aid forms, deadlines and award notification dates.
6. Schedule visits to the campus and try to schedule an appointment with the Financial Aid Office during your visit.
7. Keep in mind that deadlines will vary by college but the general guidelines for availability of the forms are September 15 for the CSS Profile and no earlier than January 1 for the FAFSA.
8. Don't wait to be admitted to a college before filing for Financial Aid. Both processes should happen simultaneously.
9. Start looking into outside scholarships. www.fastweb.com offers over 400,000 scholarships and the site is free and legitimate.
10. Be cautious about using scholarship companies that ask you to pay money in order to find scholarships. Contact your guidance office, local financial aid office or the Better Business Bureau if you are suspicious.
11. If you are wondering how you are going to pay for college (whether you earn 20k or 120k), file the financial aid forms, review the financial aid brochures or web sites for the various colleges under choices, attend a financial aid night. Be informed.
12. Above all, if you are going to file, file on time. It is better to use your best estimates than to use actual figures but miss the deadlines.

Prepared by: Laurie Chisesi,
Associate Director of Financial Aid at Lafayette College

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