Determining Financial Need for your years at college

It may be helpful to you and to your parents to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1 of the year you want to enroll in college. Copies of the form are available from your guidance counselor or online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This site includes a link to the FAFSA4caster, a tool to learn about the financial aid process and get an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid.

After you send in the FAFSA, the government will send you, and the colleges you apply to, your Student Aid Report (SAR). Your SAR explains how much aid you will need to go to college and how much you and your family will be expected to pay.

Other useful web sites:

http://www.princetonreview.com/scholarships-financial-aid.aspx
www.studentaid.ed.gov
www.nysfaaa.org
www.finaid.org
www.questbridge.org

Please note:

The web site www.fafsa.com charges students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. Since the application is in fact free, there is no reason to pay for these services.

Warning: Scholarship Scams:

Most scholarship programs are legitimate, but some are not. As you conduct your search for scholarships, remember that:

• Legitimate scholarships do not charge a fee to apply.
• They do not call on the phone without your contacting them first, or send an unsolicited award letter.
• They never ask for your credit card number.
• They do not offer a guarantee of an award.
• More information about scholarship scams is available at www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml.