EVEN If you get accepted to college, you’ll
never be able to pay the bill, right? Wrong! There’s
financial aid available if you know where to look.
C
ollege isn’t cheap. with tuition and room and
board at private schools often topping $40,000,
and even in-state, public schools costing several
Financial
thousand dollars a year, you may wonder why you
should even apply.
well, don’t worry. every Texas student can afford
to go to college.
“access and affordability of higher education can Aid BASICS
be intimidating to students and parents; however,
there are numerous resources available to walk you
through the process and into an exciting future,” says all schools require the free application for federal Take Two at a Community College:
Heather v. crowson, vice president for enrollment student aid (fafsa), which determines eligibility The first two years of many college programs are
management at sam Houston state university. for federal aid, such as work-study, pell grants, and filled with core courses that could easily be taken
The secret to getting the aid you need to go to school the stafford loan program; and for college grants at a local community college for a lot less money.
is in filling out the necessary forms, getting good grades, and, sometimes, merit scholarships. complete the If you fill out all the forms, do the math, and still
and applying to schools that offer generous financial aid application as soon as possible after january 1 of can’t afford a four-year school, enroll in a community
packages. (a financial aid package consists of need- or the year you’ll be starting college. fafsa forms and college for the first two years, then transfer to a
merit-based scholarships and grants plus work-study jobs instruction booklets are available in your guidance four-year school.
and low-interest student loans.) counselor’s office, or you can complete the form by living at home, working part-time, and getting
Here’s a quick overview of steps you can take online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. required courses out of the way, you could save
to get the financial aid you need to continue your most private schools also require applicants to tens of thousands of dollars in tuition and room and
studies after high school. for more information about complete a school financial aid application and, in board, and be able to afford to attend the college
the aid available at a specific college or university, go some cases, the css/financial aid profile form of your choice for junior and senior years. for a
to the school’s website and click on the “admissions (profileonline.collegeboard.com), which is used to complete list of the state’s community colleges, go
and financial aid” link. many schools provide an award nonfederal student aid funds. carefully read to the Texas association of community colleges
online form you and your parents can fill out that will each college’s application to determine financial aid website at www.tacc.org.
give you the estimated financial aid package you deadlines and what forms you will need to submit.
might receive if accepted to that school. Target Your search: applying to a couple
study in-state: whether you choose a public of colleges where your grades and talents put you
Apply: You definitely won’t get any financial aid if or a private school, staying in-state for college will near the top of the typical talent pool makes it more
you don’t apply. To figure out how much grant money cut your costs considerably. plus, since Texas covers likely you’ll qualify for merit aid and other special
(which you don’t pay back) and loans (which you do 267,339 square miles, you can “go away” to college school scholarships and grants. do a little research
pay back) you’ll need to afford school, colleges use without ever leaving the state. on college websites to find schools where your
a formula that factors in your parents’ income and To help ensure that qualified Texas high school standardized test scores and grade point average
investments, your income, the number of kids in the graduates with financial need can go to college, the rank you in the top 25 percent or so of the most
family who will be in college at the same time, and state legislature established the Texas (Towards recently accepted first-year class. colleges want
other financial information. families of all income excellence, access, and success) grant program. to attract the best and brightest students available,
levels may receive aid, so fill out the forms. grants can be used to study at any public college or and often will offer attractive scholarship/grant/loan
university in the state and are equal to the student’s packages to convince those students to come to
tuition and required fees. In 2005–2006, 61,086 their school.
students received Texas grants. To apply, fill out There are also more than 1 million local, national,
the fafsa. and college-specific scholarships available each
another way to score some serious state aid is to year. The trick is to find and apply for scholarships
get good grades in high school. Texas students who that best fit your strengths and talents. fastweb
are in the top 10 percent of their graduating class are (www.fastweb.com) is a free college scholarship
eligible for automatic admission to any public university search source. register online and you will start
in the state. with that automatic admission comes the receiving email notices about scholarships,
opportunity to apply for merit scholarships and special internships, and other opportunities that fit the
programs available at each school. profile information you submit.
Page 19
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24