1 of 42

Presenter:

Promise Partner

Kitsap Strong

Bainbridge High School

Financial Aid Night

2 of 42

The Community Cares

About Your Future

3 of 42

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

AUG

JUL

Senior Year Financial Aid Timeline

Create StudentAid.gov or WASFA account

Begin applying for four year colleges and scholarships

FAFSA and WASFA open October 1st

Students and parents must complete and submit FAFSA or WASFA by colleges’ priority deadline

Follow up with colleges for verification

Receive admission and financial aid award offers

Compare offers and accept at one school

Keep applying for scholarships!

4 of 42

Agenda

What is financial aid?
How do I apply with FAFSA or WASFA?
How is my financial aid calculated?
Where do I find scholarships?
FAFSA Screenshots
Q & A

5 of 42

Fist to Five

“I know how to access financial aid and scholarships.”

How much do you agree with this statement?

6 of 42

Education after high school means

more job options

Apprenticeship training (3 months-2 years)

Certificate or Associate's (18 mo.- 2 years)

Bachelor's degree (4+ years)

Culinary arts

Paralegal

Dental hygiene

Cosmetology

Editor

Foreign Services Officer

Market Researcher

Social Worker

Marketing Exec

Writer

Community Organizer

Teacher

Marine Biologist

Chemical Engineer

App Developer

Lawyer

Physical Therapist

Radiologic Tech

Electrical Drafter

Electronic Engineer

Computer Support

Web Developer

Registered nurse

Cybersecurity

Aircraft Mechanic

Automotive Mechanic

Brick layer

Carpenter

Electrician

Fire Fighter

Truck Driver

Welder

Pipe Fitter

Cement Mason

Flagger

Painters

7 of 42

This:	And this:

The term “college” includes

Washington State financial aid covers both.

One thing we want to you remember during this presentation is that for ease we use the term “college.” So just know that when we use that word it refers to your post high school education and training whether that mean going to a four year university like this, or going to a trade school like this, or anything in between (community college, apprenticeship). “College” is anything you need to study after high school to get the job you want.

Washington State financial aid programs, like the WA Grant program we just looked at, will help to pay for the costs of many kinds of education after high school including

-4 year colleges in WA, public & private

-2 year community and technical colleges in WA, public & private

-Some trade schools (ex. Gene Juarez Academy, the Divers Institute which teaches underwater welding)

-the costs of some apprenticeship training programs

8 of 42

MONEY TO HELP STUDENTS PAY FOR EDUCATION AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

ALMOST ALL STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SOME FORM OF FINANCIAL AID

STUDENTS MUST APPLY EACH YEAR THEY NEED TO PAY FOR EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES

What is Financial Aid?

Bullet 1: Financial aid is money to help students pay for education after high school. Again, that term “college” includes 2 & 4 year colleges and universities as well as trade schools, certificate programs, and some apprenticeships.

Bullet 2: A lot of people believe that they will not qualify for financial aid, but I’ve never met a student who was not eligible to receive some form of financial aid. We’ll talk about all the forms of financial aid in a minute (and Yes Loans are a form of financial aid).

Bullet 3: It’s important to understand that you do have to apply for all forms of financial aid, including scholarships, and you have to re-apply every year that you need the money to pay for your education. So, Financial Aid is not a “one and done” process, and it’s not a super easy process.

An important note for parents: Students need to be in the driver’s seat for the financial aid process because they will need to do it every year while they are in college. This means that your student needs:

-to memorize their Social Security #

-to create a professional sounding college email address & check it regularly

-to be in the room, or on the phone with the parent in order for a college to talk to the parent about financial aid, it’s federal law (FERPA)

9 of 42

�Financial Aid is “pieced” together from different sources.

Grants

Scholarships

Loans

Work-study

Grants

Income-based
Free money
Funded by federal, state and institutional

Scholarships

Merit and income-based
Free money
Funded by public, private, institutional, and nonprofit sources

Work-study

Income-based
Job on campus
Funded by

federal, state and

institutional

Loans

Income-based
Must pay back
Funded by federal and private organizations

Everyone is able to access these four types of financial aid.

For some families, college savings and GI Bill benefits are a big part of the funding "puzzle" for some students.

These benefits can work together with financial aid (grants, scholarships, work-study & loans) to maximize your funding.

Because these programs are not available to all students, we’d like to address them during the Q & A portion at the end or during a private appointment where we can discuss the particulars of your family and financial situation.

College Savings Plans include

529 plans
the GET Program

Military Education Benefits including:

GI Bill
Tuition waiver for dependents of veterans with 100% Disability

10 of 42

One of the most generous state financial aid programs in the country.

-Seattle Times, April 10, 2023

WA Grant did not officially start until 2020, so it's a new grant program that more families are eligible for every year.
Even if your parents or older siblings didn't get a lot of financial aid before 2020, you might be eligible for this program now.
Designed to help middle income and low-income students & families
for more types of education after high school: certificate programs, job training, apprenticeships, or college.

WA Grant is available to the following people:

Washington residents (including undocumented people) who continue to reside in Washington.
Recent high school graduates or working-age adults
Low- to middle-income families and individuals
People who plan to attend an approved certificate program, job training, apprenticeship, or college, part-time or full-time (in WA)
Full Awards cover Tuition at all Washington State Public schools and partial awards at some Private Schools

These numbers are current as of October 2024:

An eligible student from a family of four making around $78,500 or less per year would receive a full award.
Partial grants are available for families making up to the state’s median family income, around $120,500 per year.

11 of 42

FREE Application

OR

Take the Free & Confidential quiz here: wsac.wa.gov/WASFAelig

How do I access financial aid?

In Washington state there are two application options for applying to financial aid, but you will only use one of these applications, the one that is right for each student's citizenship or immigration status.

FAFSA allows Access to Federal & State Aid – For U.S. citizens, U.S. Nationals, and eligible non-citizens including:

-Permanent Residents (with a green card)

-Refugees & Asylees

-Folks on visas for victims of human trafficking or domestic violence

-folks from Micronesia, the Marshall Islands or the Republic of Palau

WASFA was designed for students who are undocumented

-or who have the DACA work permit (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)

-it allows students who are residents of Washington (12 months or more) to access their Washington State Financial Aid only.

-students who are U.S. Citizens with parents and family members with mixed immigration status can choose to file WASFA if it feels safer, but they are giving up their access to any federal financial aid.

-students who are U.S. citizens with parents who make enough money to file taxes, but have not filed, can use WASFA. In other words, if your parents should be filing taxes but don't, then you can use the WASFA.

Not sure which application is right for you? Take the Free, Confidential online quiz.

Both applications are FREE. Please never pay money to apply for financial aid, to get access to a list of scholarships, or to get college recommendations. Also, beware of any kind of college seminar.

12 of 42

Create your Studentaid.gov account

Crear una cuenta (credencial studentaid.gov)

https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch

13 of 42

Parent/Contributor Wizard Tool

Helps determine which parent(s) and stepparent(s) should participate in (contribute to) a student's FAFSA form.
All Contributors to a student's FAFSA need their own studentaid.gov account.

14 of 42

Create your WASFA Account

Crear una cuenta

WASFA Questionnaire | WSAC

15 of 42

NOTE:�Dependency Status for Financial Aid

For financial aid purposes, students are dependent on parents until age 24.

16 of 42

You may need to file the CSS Profile, in addition to your FAFSA or WASFA.

Check the website at your college(s) for requirements.

https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

If you are applying to private colleges…

The CSS Profile is an online application that collects information used by nearly 400 colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal aid. Like FAFSA and WASFA, students are dependent on parents until age 24. Some colleges may require the CSS Profile from both biological/adoptive parents and their spouses in cases of divorce or separation.

WHO must complete the CSS Profile?

You probably will not need the CSS Profile unless you are applying to private colleges
Check your colleges’ admissions website & financial aid website to determine whether they require the CSS Profile.
Private colleges may require both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, so find out what's required.
A list of participating colleges is also found on the College Board’s website.

WHAT does the CSS Profile Cost?

CSS Profile is free to students with family incomes up to $100,000.
For family incomes above $100,000, the fee for the initial application is $25. Additional reports are $16. Payment may be made via credit or debit card.
First-time domestic college applicants may receive CSS Profile fee waivers if the student qualified for an SAT fee waiver, or if the student is an orphan or ward of the court under the age of 24 or based on parental income and family size (e.g. family of 4 would qualify with income of $45,000 or less).

17 of 42

My FAFSA or WASFA

Financial information is sent to ALL of your selected colleges.
Each college calculates a different financial aid award.

What happens when I file my FAFSA or WASFA? �

TRADE SCHOOL

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

4 YEAR UNIVERSITY

18 of 42

The Financial Need Calculation

COST OF ATTENDANCE

STUDENT AID INDEX (SAI)

YOUR FINANCIAL NEED

The purpose of the financial aid application is to collect your information and act as a fancy calculator. Here is the equation that your FAFSA or WASFA is calculating:

Each college has a Cost of Attendance which includes these expenses the college will directly bill you for:

Tuition (the cost of classes)
Fees (ex. Technology fee, Recreation fee, etc.)
Room & Board (the cost of your dorm room and meal plan)

Cost of Attendance also includes these indirect costs for which the college will not send a bill:

Books (you'll have to buy those online, or rent them as e-books for cheaper!)
Transportation (If you drive to the OC campus every day, or if you need a plane ticket home from UCLA for the holidays, you wont pay those costs to the college, but they are still costs)
Personal Expenses (toothpaste, laptop, Top Ramen, etc.)

Student Aid Index (SAI)

This is the number the FAFSA or the WASFA calculates and sends to the colleges.
It used to be called Expected Family Contribution
The SAI is still the number that colleges believe you can contribute toward your Costs (of Attendance).

Cost of Attendance minus Student Aid Index equals your Financial Need.

Think of your Financial Need as a bucket you are asking each college to fill with as much financial aid as possible.
Colleges canNOT give you more financial aid than will fit in your bucket. They can only fill it to the top.
But remember that colleges are not required to fill your financial aid bucket to the top.
If you apply to the right colleges, your have a better chance of getting their financial need bucket filled up as much as possible.
Your college & scholarship application strategy is key to maximize your funding.

19 of 42

Filling Your Financial Need Bucket

Each college will try to fill your need bucket with a combination of Grants, Scholarships, Work Study, and Loans, but they don’t have to fill it to the top.

WSU Whitworth Pomona

73% 83% 100%

Colleges are not required to meet 100% of your financial need.

20 of 42

100% Need Met Colleges

21 of 42

What is Verification?

Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong!

22 of 42

Scholarships

Start local and move out

23 of 42

Scholarships for BHS Students

24 of 42

The best place to start your scholarship search?

In your own Community!

25 of 42

Most Scholarships will come

from your college

26 of 42

WA State Scholarship�Search

The WashBoard matches Washington state students to scholarships from institutions, local businesses and rotaries, and philanthropists.

26

www.theWashBoard.org

27 of 42

The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship supports low- and middle-income Washington students pursuing eligible high-demand majors in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) or health care at 2 and 4 year colleges in Washington State.
Baccalaureate Scholarship=Cumulative 2.75 GPA minimum
Career & Technical Scholarship=No GPA minimum

Scholarship Opportunity

for Washington State Scholars

28 of 42

National Scholarship

Search

29 of 42

29

Scholarship Opportunities for WASFA Filers

The Cooke College Scholarship Program is an undergraduate scholarship program available to high-achieving high school seniors with financial need who seek to attend and graduate from the nation's best four-year colleges and universities.

Sea Mar Scholarships
Sea Mar awards hundreds of scholarships each year to highly deserving Washington state students.��Since 1998, Sea Mar has been committed to help students who face economic barriers by providing scholarships in order for them to go to college, accomplish their goals, and succeed in life.

30 of 42

Just a Few National Scholarship Opportunities

31 of 42

Selected FAFSA Screenshots

32 of 42

Student Sections

33 of 42

Dependent Student Invites Parent Contributor

34 of 42

Parent Receives Email Invitation

35 of 42

Parent Sections

36 of 42

Parent Provides Consent and Approval �for Use of Federal Tax Information

37 of 42

Parent Reports Assets

38 of 42

Some applicants have experienced financial changes since 2024.

Students need to apply with the FAFSA or WASFA. Then contact the financial aid departments of the colleges.

Free tool

with templates:

SwiftStudent

Financial Aid Appeals

39 of 42

Financial Aid Appeals Resource: SwiftStudent

Ask the financial aid office to exclude parental information when they calculate my financial aid

Ask for financial aid to cover my

childcare costs

Ask for financial aid to cover expenses associated with my disability

Ask for more financial aid if FAFSA does not capture a financial difficulty I am currently facing

Ask for financial aid to help with a car repair

Ask for additional help if I have a financial emergency

Ask for more financial aid if my financial situation changes after I fill out the FAFSA

Ask for financial aid to cover my dependent care costs

Ask for my financial aid to be reinstated if I miss Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements

Ask for financial aid to cover a computer or other supplies that I need for school

Ask for financial aid to help with food or housing

Ask for an extension if I miss a financial aid deadline

40 of 42

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

AUG

JUL

Senior Year Financial Aid Timeline

Create StudentAid.gov or WASFA account

Apply for four year colleges and scholarships

FAFSA and WASFA open October 1st

Students and parents must complete and submit FAFSA or WASFA by colleges’ priority deadline

Follow up with colleges for verification

Receive admission and financial aid award offers

Compare offers and accept at one school

Keep applying for scholarships!

41 of 42

Fist to Five

“I know how to access financial aid and scholarships.”

How much do you agree with this statement?

42 of 42

Questions?

Promise Partner

Future Bound Manager

Email: promise.partner@kitsapstrong.org

Phone: 206-771-0029