Windsor High School 

Financial Aid and Scholarship Information

Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year!

 SCHOLARSHIPS

Grant – money given to a student, usually because of financial need

Scholarship – money awarded because of exceptional academic achievement, outstanding talent and skill and/or financial need

Work Study – money a student earns by working at a college job, usually 10-15 hours per week

Parents and students must complete a FAFSA application in order to be eligible to receive any financial aid provided by the federal government. States and colleges also use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for state (Cal Grants A, B, C) and institutional financial aid. The FAFSA must be completed in order to receive need-based financial aid.

Through the information provided on the FAFSA the amount a family can afford to pay for college is determined. Everyone should complete a FAFSA, even if they believe they are not eligible for need-based financial aid.

Start the process now by both parent and student obtaining a PIN from www.fafsa.ed.gov. These personal identification numbers will serve as your electronic signatures needed to file a FAFSA online.

The FAFSA should be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This is a free service. There are some websites that claim to be FAFSA sites and they charge for completing the form – DO NOT pay for this service. 

Want to know what college costs will be?

Try this NEW fafsa4caster by visiting http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/, a new Web tool designed by Federal Student Aid to assist high school juniors, seniors and their families plan for education beyond high school.  The student will receive:

an estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by entering the information into FAFSA4caster, the potential Federal Pell Grant eligibility and reduce the time needed to complete the FAFSA when the student applies as a senior. FREE of charge.

TIPS FOR FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS

1. Visit the high school guidance office to find out about grants and scholarships that may be available.

2. Find out if your chosen colleges and universities have their own financial assistance applications.

3. Make sure you know about the deadlines for applying for scholarships.

4. Make copies of all documents you send to colleges and universities. Record when and to whom you sent the information. Create a correspondence file for each school that interests you.

5. Keep an up-to-date “activity sheet” of all of your present and past extra-curricular activities, community service, clubs, sports, awards, honors, etc.

6. Visit the following websites to learn about financial aid and local/national scholarships: