Use
this sheet as a personal guide for the financial aid process. Check
off each step as you complete it. Make copies of all correspondence
and forms and keep them in a financial aid file.
- Learn about
financial aid. Find out what the options are for your family. Order information from ICPAC. Visit your local library. Borrow
books from your high school counselor.
Apply to college before Thanksgiving. (Some college scholarship
opportunities are offered in the fall.)
- Visit the
financial aid office of each college to which you apply. Learn
the college’s due dates for aid, and ask if the college
has its own financial aid form. Attend financial aid sessions at
Ben Davis High School in December and February.
- File parent
and student federal income tax forms as soon as possible (preferably
in January) so there is accurate data to use for financial aid
forms.
- Attend College
Goal Sunday in early February if you need assistance filling out
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Call the
ICPAC hotline (800-992-2076) for an updated listing of sites.
The ICPAC hotline can also answer calls about the FAFSA.
- Complete
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) anytime after
January 1 but no later than March 1. Ask for a certificate of
mailing (not certified mail) when you mail. MAIL PRIOR
TO MARCH 1.
- Read all
financial aid notification and bursar notification letters carefully.
Respond to any requests for additional information
quickly, completely, and accurately.
- Check sources
for scholarships for which you are eligible:
- Each college/post-secondary
institution
- Those announced
in the Ben Davis Daily Bulletin
- Corporations
where parents are employed
- Military
- ROTC, MROTC
- Churches
- Professional
Associations
- Check with
your bank regarding the possibility of obtaining a student or
parent loan.
Ask your
high school counselor for assistance if you have general questions.
Specific questions should be directed to the college financial aid
offices.
If you filed the FAFSA, prior to March 1, you will:
- receive
a Student Aid Report (SAR) in six to eight weeks. (Correct and
return, if necessary.)
- receive
a financial aid package from the college of your choice around
May 1.
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