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Finding Money for College 2026-27

What you need to know

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Overview

What is financial aid?

How does financial aid work?

How do I apply?

What happens next?

What about scholarships?

Where can I get more information?

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What is Financial Aid?

Federal - (Pell, SEOG)
State - (OR Promise, OOG, OTSG)

Gift Aid

Grants

Scholarships

COCC Foundation
OSU-Cascades Scholarships
OSAC and Others

Self-Help Aid

Work Study

Borrowed Money

Subsidized Loan

Unsubsidized Loan

Parent Plus Loan

Grants:

Max Pell = $7,395

SEOG = varies by school

OPG = know deadlines - June 1

Oregon HS going to Oregon CC

OOG = Oregon resident going to Oregon school

OTSG = member of federally recognized tribe in OR

Sub/Unsub = total $5,500

int = 6.53% (2425)

PLUS = COA-other aid

int = 9.083% (with 4.228% fee)

Narrative:

These are the state grant programs that may be available.

The OOG grant is for Oregon residents, it is based on need and a student must complete the FAFSA or ORSAA early to be considered for this grant.

A student must include at least one OR school on their FAFSA or ORSAA. This grant can only be used at Oregon colleges and universities.

Oregon Promise is a state grant that helps to cover tuition costs at any Oregon community college for recent high school graduates and students receiving their GED. Students must apply during their senior year or immediately after GED® test completion. It also requires a student to attend college within 6 months of graduation.

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How Does it Work?

Tuition and Fees
Books, Supplies and Equipment
Certificate and Licensure Fees
Food and Housing
Transportation
Misc/Personal Expenses

Caluclated by the FAFSA/ORSAA
Eligibility Index

Cost of Attendance

Student Aid Index

Financial aid is determined by the Institutions COA minus the FAFSA’s calculated SAI

Financial Need

COA - SAI = Need

COA

SAI

Need

COA:

First step in understanding how financial aid works is understanding what we mean by the Cost of Attendance. The COA is an estimate of the total cost to be a student at that institution. That means direct and indirect costs. Financial Aid uses the COA in the calculation of student aid. What do I mean by direct costs? We consider tuition a direct cost as it is directly related to the costs to the college. Indirect costs are things such as rent, gas, food. Think of COA as a holistic estimate for the student to live, and go to school.

SAI:

The second component in understanding financial aid is understanding what the term Student Aid Index means and what it’s used for: SAI is a index number that helps determine financial aid eligibility and student need for financial aid. It is calculated from the information provided on your FAFSA.

Student Aid Index:

Eligibility index number that helps determine Student Aid and/or student need for financial aid

Need:

Once this information is received, the colleges’ financial aid office will use your COA and SAI to prepare a financial aid package to help students meet their financial need.

The financial aid office then tries to cover the full financial need. Because there are limits to state and federal aid, there may be a gap between the financial need and the amount offered.

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How Do I Apply?

FSA ID

Unique email addresses

No processing time!

Each Contributor (including those without an SSN)

Save your FSA ID log in!

https://StudentAid.gov

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Student will invite contributors to add information
ALL contributors must give consent and sign

How Do I Apply? (Prep)

Contributors

FAFSA Parent

Consent

Anyone who is required to provide information on the FAFSA

Parent who provides the greater financial support of the student

On the 2024–25 FAFSA form, a contributor refers to anyone (student, the student's spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or the parent's spouse) who's required to provide information on the FAFSA form. A student's or parent's answers on the FAFSA form will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information. Students or parents will invite a contributor to complete their portion of the FAFSA form by entering the contributor's name, date of birth, SSN, and email address.

Note: If a contributor doesn't have an SSN, they can still be invited to complete their portion of the FAFSA form. To invite a contributor who doesn't have an SSN, the student or parent will indicate that the contributor doesn't have an SSN and will instead provide the contributor's address.

To complete the contributor's portion of the FAFSA form, the contributor will

1. receive an email informing them that they've been identified as a contributor;

2. create a StudentAid.gov account if they don't already have one;

3. review information about completing their section of the FAFSA form; and

4. provide the required personal and financial information and consent and approval on the student's FAFSA form

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How Do I Apply? (FAFSA/ORSAA)

FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid

https://StudentAid.gov

ORSAA - Oregon Student Aid Application

https://oregonstudentaid.gov/

OR

October 2025

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What Happens Next?

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Secondary School Tuition

Loss of Income

Divorce

Death of Parent

Loss of Employment

Dependent Care

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What Happens Next?

FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)

Make corrections if needed

Watch your email

Satisfy financial aid requirements from each school

Review and Act on Offer

Next steps. Now we are at the follow up point. One to three days after you complete the FAFSA you will get an email that says your student aid report SAR is available to view. This means your FAFSA is done processing. You can now log back in and see and review your answers. If you see a mistake you can make corrections. Schools may require further information for verification.

The steps may be a little bit different at each school or state you have been residing in. Be sure to submit all requested documents by the priority deadline that your school has posted.

The last bullet point can dramatically impact your award amounts. Anytime you are researching schools or funding sources look for the deadline dates. Often deadlines have money attached to it. You may have to apply for admissions by a certain date, complete your FAFSA or ORSAA, or return your scholarship acceptance form by a certain date. Any time you see deadlines I want you to see dollar signs. Missing deadlines may cost you money.

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Maintain Aid Eligibility

Maintain cumulative completion rate of 66.67% or higher

Completion Rate

Eligibility is limited to 150% of program

Degree Progress

GPA

Maintain 2.0 GPA or higher

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Applying for Scholarships

What you need to know

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How Do I Apply? (Prep)

What is a Scholarship?

When do I apply?

Gift Aid
Competitive
Variety of Types (academic, athletic, etc.)
Some are renewable for multiple years

Start now
Common scholarships are between Sept - April
Apply for new scholarships every year

What:

So what is a scholarship? A college scholarship is a monetary gift. They are considered gift aid and do not need to be paid back. There are thousands of them, offered by schools, employers, private companies, nonprofits, religious groups, and professional and social organizations. But they are competitive. Some scholarships are merit-based. What it means is that you earn them by meeting or exceeding certain standards set by the scholarship-giver or donor. Other scholarships are based on financial need. And many scholarships are geared toward particular groups of people; for instance, there are scholarships for women, graduate students, athletes, veterans, and military families. The scholarship awards range from a few hundred dollars up to the full cost of attendance. Some scholarships are a one-time award and some are renewable each year you meet their requirements. Either way, it is worth applying for, because it will help you reduce the cost of your education.

How:

When do you apply for scholarships? That depends on each scholarship’s deadline. Some deadlines are as early as a year before you start college, so if you are in high school right now, you should be researching and applying for scholarships starting now. The common application deadline is September through April. And you should apply for scholarships each year.

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Where do I start?

Admissions Application
Institutional Application

Local

College and University

Your Community

Aspire/TRIO/Career Center
Local organizations
Employer

State

OSAC (Office of Student Access and Completion)

National

StudentAid.gov

Fastweb.com

Collegeboard.com

Scholarships.com

Finaid.org

Beware of Scams

Use Safe Internet Practices

OregonStudentAid.gov
Deadlines

Early Bird: Feb 15, 2026
Final: March 1, 2026

OregonGoesToCollege.org

Where do you start? You should start on a local level and make your way up to the national level. There is less completion on a local-level but do not let the national-level competitions intimidate you and stop you from applying.

Local:

Let’s talk about local level scholarships and where and how you can find them. There are several ways to find scholarships on a local level. You can contact the admissions, scholarships, or financial aid office at the school you plan to attend or check out their websites. Because every school offers scholarships for incoming students. Some college scholarship applications might be a part of their admissions application so it is so important for you to submit their admissions application by their deadline. We highly recommend that you work with your high school counselors, Future Center coordinators, or Trio counselors and find out where you can apply for scholarships through your high school. And lastly your employers, your or your parents’ place of employment might have scholarships or tuition assistance programs. You should contact the HR or foundation and find out if they provide any financial support or scholarships to their employees and or their family members attending college.

State:

On the state-level, we recommend that you start your scholarship search and application with OSAC. OSAC is a State of Oregon office that helps Oregonians plan and pay for college by providing scholarships, grants, and other financial aid. OSAC scholarship program manages over 600 privately funded scholarships through one online application. And they award over 17 million dollars each year.

Please go to oregonstudentaid.gov to apply for scholarships at a state level. Their scholarship application period is Nov 1 to March 1. Be sure to confirm that you have completed and submitted your OSAC scholarship application before March 1 so you have time to make corrections, if necessary, and resubmit your application by the final deadline which is March 1st. Please note that over half of OSAC scholarships are available to DACA or undocumented students. Oregon Goes To College is a program sponsored by Gear Up. Gear Up stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, and this program is supported by a grant from the Department of Ed. Their goal is to help educators, students, and their families prepare for education after high school. They provide a lot of helpful information including a list of Oregon scholarships and other reliable scholarship search sites. Please be sure to search for local scholarships there.

National:

So now let’s talk about National level scholarships. One of the most difficult aspects of obtaining scholarships on a national level is finding them. Here, we have listed a few reliable and free search sites where you can search for scholarships on a national level. Many search sites may require you to create a profile and then match you with scholarships based on the information you provided on your profile. Keep in mind that you should not pay a fee to apply for scholarships. So be aware of scams.

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Community Service

Test Scores

Personal Statement

Academics

Leadership

Work Experience

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATIONS

Now let’s talk about what scholarship committees look for. Due to current events, scholarship committees are changing the way they review applicants. For the upcoming academic year, students will most likely be awarded scholarships based on a holistic review of their application. You do not have to have a 4.00 GPA, but a strong GPA indicates that you take your studies seriously — and that’s something that every committee cares about. If you do not have the best GPA, you can still show to the committee that you are a responsible student and strong applicant by focusing on your personal statement and work experience. After all, many scholarships want applicants who are not afraid of commitment and responsibility. These can be demonstrated through your work history, as well as through letters of recommendation from your employers. Volunteerism and community service are great ways to make you stand out from the crowd. Those experiences indicate that you are civic-minded and care about causes beyond yourself. Whether demonstrated through your academics, work, or volunteerism, leadership is a quality that should shine throughout your life’s endeavors. Scholarship committees like applicants with leadership skills because they are more likely to take initiative, willing to contribute to their community, know how to build relationships, and be able to inspire others to do the same.

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Prepare Early

Professional Email Address
Request Transcripts
Requests Letters of Reference

Scholarship Strategies

Submit your

2026-2027

FAFSA/ORSAA

Take SAT/ACT early

Retake if needed

Apply for Many

Awards less than $1,000
Field of study
Other interests/hobbies

Do NOT wait until the last minute

Keep copies

Confirm submissions

Applying for scholarships can be a daunting process, whether this is your first time or your fifth time. If you find yourself worried, worried that you won't be able to find scholarships to apply for, unsure of how to respond to the questions, complete an essay, request reference letters, do not worry. Below are some tips and strategies to help you do your best on your scholarship applications. Scholarships are competitive, so you should plan early. Set up a professional email account to use for admission, scholarships, and financial aid. And search for scholarships online and then create a scholarship list so you can stay organized. And be sure to read all of the instructions carefully and obtain multiple copies of your transcripts. Request reference letters in advance and make copies of them. Some scholarships require a proof that you submitted the FAFSA or ORSAA so be sure to complete the FAFSA or ORSAA. And take the necessary exams early and then retake them, if necessary.

You should apply for many different scholarships. Apply for scholarships that are less than $1,000. Because they could add up. And remember; do not wait until the last minute to submit your application. Keep copies of your submitted scholarship applications just in case. Follow up with the scholarship donor and confirm that your application was submitted successfully.

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Essay Writing Tips

Answer all parts of the question

Read and follow instructions thoroughly

Make it personal and

Proof your work

Reuse your essays and statements

The essay is the most important part of the scholarship application, and it can be the hardest part of it also. But it should not keep you from applying for scholarships. Here are some helpful tips for you. First of all, make sure to answer all of the parts of the question being asked. Understanding what they are really asking will make it easier for you to answer the questions. So research the topic, write your essay, and then read it out loud and see how it sounds before submitting it. Follow the essay instructions completely and make sure your essay is personal, personal by describing your educational plans, personal accomplishments, your strengths, and your skills that you use to achieve your accomplishments. I know it is hard to focus on yourself and talk about yourself but be comfortable endorsing yourself because this may be the first and the only time you will get to make an impression on a scholarship committee. Remember your audience, tell your story, and be authentic.

And you can re-use your essay and personal statements.

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Expect Success

Congratulatory Letter or Email

Read thoroughly

Understand requirements and save them

Some may request a Personal Interview

Check your email and voicemail

Prepare and practice

After you submit all of your scholarship applications, you should expect good news. You should expect success. And If and when you receive your good news, your scholarship award letter, be sure to read it carefully and save it because you may need to refer to it later. Some prestigious scholarships may request an in-person or a remote interview. So check your email and voicemail often, and practice video conferencing. If the donors request additional information such as transcripts, proof that you filed FAFSA or ORSAA, proof of admission or enrollment, or a simple thank you letter, be sure to submit them right away if not by the deadline. And if you receive many scholarships your college may adjust your financial aid offer, so just keep that in mind. Hope you found this scholarship info session helpful. Hope you will apply and receive many scholarships.

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Contact Information

Email: coccfinaid@cocc.edu
Phone: 541-383-7260
Hours: M – F 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Webpage: www.cocc.edu/financial-aid/

Email: financialaid@

osucascades.edu

Phone: 541-322-2092
Schedule at: beav.es/wFH