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Financial Aid�At A�Glance

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What is Financial Aid?

Financial aid is money to help you pay educational costs, such as:

Tuition
Fees
Books
Room and board
Transportation
Personal expenses

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Who Can Apply?

Any graduating senior entering college in the

Fall and/or Spring semester(s) after the completion of your senior year of high school, who is a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen (you must have an alien registration number, I-94, or Green Card).

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Video Clip: Overview of the Financial Aid Process

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How Do I Apply?

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid):

Apply online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

It is FREE! It is used to apply for most types of federal and state aid. Note: You and your parent/guardian must create FSA ID’s prior to filling out your FAFSA. You can begin filling out the 2025-2026 FAFSA application on December 1st.

TAP (Tuition Assistance Program)

Apply online at https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/apply-for-financial-aid/nys-tap/apply-for-tap.html. It is FREE! You can begin filling out the 2025-2026 TAP application on December 1st.

CSS Profile

Requested by select private colleges/universities. You pay to process the application. Apply online at https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/. You can begin to filling out the 2025-2026 CSS Profile on October 1st.

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After Electronically �Submitting Your FAFSA

You be notified via a email when your FAFSA has been processed.

Once processed you will need to log-in to your FAFSA account to review your Student Aid Report (SAR). Be sure to verify it is accurate.
The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an important number appearing on your SAR; it’s also shown on the confirmation page of your online FAFSA. It is based on the information provided on your FAFSA, such as income, assets and family size. The SAI is a number that indicates a student’s eligibility for federal student aid. A lower SAI means a student has more financial need and is eligible for more aid. A negative SAI indicates the student has the greatest financial need.

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Cost of Attendance (COA)

Loan fees
Study abroad costs
Dependent care expenses
Expenses related to a disability

Tuition and fees
Room and board
Books and supplies
Transportation
Miscellaneous personal expenses

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Types of Financial Aid Awarded

Grants, Work Study, Parent Loans, Student Loans, and Scholarships

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Award Letter from the College

Sent by schools that have accepted you and received your financial aid paperwork; lists types and amounts of aid you’re eligible to receive
You don’t have to accept everything you’re offered- especially loans
Submit any requested information to your school by the required deadline

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Sample Financial Aid Award Letter

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NYS Student Aid Programs

Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)

Undergraduates
Up to $5,665/year
Full-time and part-time study in NYS
Need-based grant

Calculated on NYS Income Tax information

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NYS Student Aid Programs

TAP award amount determined by

Academic year in which first payment of TAP or any state award is received
Type of institution and the tuition charge
Financial status (dependent or independent)
Other family members enrolled in college
Combined family NYS taxable income

Excelsior Scholarship Program
STEM Scholarship Program

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CSS Profile�(College Scholarship Services)

Application used by certain colleges to award institutional aid
Collects more detailed information
Application Fee, waivers available
Check with college/university to see if it is required
Available online at:

https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

The CSS profile is an additional aid application that some colleges require. The profile collects more detailed information than the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is available in early October and participating colleges in many cases use this as the first step in determining financial aid.

Colleges will tell you if the CSS Profile application is required.

Additionally, it is important to note that the CSS Profile is not free. A $25 fee for the first school and a $16 fee for each additional school reported to is charged.

A limited number of fee waivers are available for each high school. Fee waivers are granted automatically through the CSS Profile application process but can also be obtained through the college requiring the application.

If you need assistance with any of the questions on the CSS Profile, check with the college who is requiring the form for advice on how to proceed.

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Local Scholarships

Each year, the Southampton High School facilitates the local scholarship program for graduating seniors. There are approximately 90 different scholarships available for our students.
In order to be eligible for approximately 70 of these scholarships, students must simply fill out the Southampton High School General Scholarship Application ("green sheet") and attach their extracurricular resume via the scholarship Google Classroom. The Southampton High School Scholarship Committee convenes weekly from March until early June to choose the student(s) who fit the criteria set forth for each scholarship.
Approximately 20 of these scholarships require students to fill out separate scholarship applications. These scholarships are decided by committees specifically set up by the organization that sponsors these awards. The deadlines for these applications are specific to each scholarship.
Information about the entire local scholarship process will be shared with parents and students during the Scholarship Opportunities Workshop on Thursday, February 6th and in English classes on Friday, February 7th.

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National Scholarships

You can review the variety of national scholarship search websites in the Counseling Office - Class of 2025 Google Classroom. Links are available to each of the websites.
Some of the scholarship search sites will require you to create an account so you can best match to scholarships you may be eligible to apply for.