Transcript Document
4-Year Universities
Community Colleges
Technical Colleges
Many Apprenticeship Programs
This may involve difficult family conversations about:
Your parent’s income
Your citizenship status
If your parents are divorced, the parenting plans
If you live with a guardian instead of a parent, you’ll need to figure out
whether you are still a “dependent”
How can you start the conversation?
Have you checked in with your parent/guardian about your plans for after
high school?
If your situation is complicated, we would love to talk with you in person
and help!
Grants- money you don’t pay back, determined by your family’s financial
need
The greater your family’s financial need, the more likely you are to
receive grants.
Loans- money you pay the government back, with interest after you have
left school
Subsidized Loans are better: You don’t start accruing interest on your
loan until after you have left school
Unsubsidized Loans start accruing interest as soon as you accept them.
Scholarships College-specific scholarships (example: Husky Promise at UW)
General scholarships (example: Hazelwood PTSA scholarship): Noncollege specific.
Net Price Estimator: Find this “Estimator” tool on every college
Financial Aid webpage
Here’s an example from the UW Financial Aid Webpage:
http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/prospectiveug/aid.esti
mator.php
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Who qualifies for FEDERAL (U.S. Government) Financial
Aid?
Must be a U.S. Citizen (need a social security number
to apply) or have a “Green Card”/US Permanent
Resident Status
Must earn a high school diploma or GED
1. Apply for a pin (ID) number now (www.pin.ed.gov) for
you and your guardian/parent.
2. Complete your FAFSA form (www.fafsa.gov) beginning
January 1st – the sooner the better!
3. Finish your FAFSA: Best to complete the application by
Feb. 1
I need help with the FAFSA!
FAFSA Completion Event at Hazen:
If in doubt, call the FAFSA Helpline:
Jan. 22nd, 5-7 p.m.
1-800-433-3243
What is the WASFA and how is it different from the FAFSA?
WASFA is: A free Washington Application for State Financial Aid
Who is eligible:
Non-US Citizens (undocumented status)
Graduate from a Washington State High School
Have lived in Washington for 3 years before earning your high
school diploma
Income requirements
Website: www.ReadySetGrad.org/WASFA
Same timeline as FAFSA: Apply beginning January 1 – finish by Feb. 1
The State Need Grant is the
funding for things like:
College Bound Scholarship
WASFA
You may qualify for the
State Need Grant
programs if your family
income is at or below:
1) College specific scholarships
In addition to applying to the university, you need to complete the FAFSA
by Feb. 1 to be eligible for college-specific scholarships and their
deadlines
Go to the specific college Financial Aid webpage for scholarships you
may be eligible to receive
2) General scholarships: Your resources include
The Wash Board (Washington state scholarship database):
www.Thewashboard.org
fastWeb: www.fastweb.com
Hazen Career Center
College Board/Big Future: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
If you are a College Bound Scholarship student:
Remember you must finish high school with a 2.0 cumulative GPA
You must complete the FAFSA no later than Feb. 1 to claim your College
Bound Scholarship!
Expect to receive an email (your “Match” email) from Washington Student
Achievement Council within 2 weeks of submitting your FAFSA,
explaining your next steps in receiving your scholarship.
Question about your College Bound Scholarship? See Ms. Diep in the
Career Center for individualized help!
Via your email, you’ll receive a Student Aid Report (basically a summary of what
you submitted) back from the federal processor; make sure there are no ERRORS
If you submitted your request before your parents finalized their taxes, log back in
to your FAFSA and make final updates using the newest tax information
Respond to any requests for additional information
Check the financial aid webpage of the individual colleges you’ve applied to see if
they will need any additional forms from you and to check their deadlines.
Each individual college you indicated on your FAFSA will send you an award letter
Compare your award letters to determine which is the best “deal”. See your
counselor if you want help!
You may want to
decide which school
to attend based on
the various school
Aid offers.
Take action now:
FAFSA:
Create your PIN Number www.pin.ed.gov
WASFA:
Create your account and start the registration process
www.ReadySetGrad.org/WASFA
Scholarships:
Create a Washboard account to search for scholarships:
www.thewashboard.org
Go to Big Future: www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org
Your “exit ticket”: Complete this survey
through Survey Monkey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XMS7BNS