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COLLEGE PLANNING CENTER OF

RHODE ISLAND(CPCRI)

Services We Provide :

College Planning
College Financial Planning
Common Application Assistance - Questions?
College Essay Review - based on availability
FAFSA Completion: Office or by Phone
CSS Profile Assistance: Office or by Phone
College Award Package Review
College Loan Feedback as Needed - federal & private loans

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College Planning

General Overview

College Planning Center of Rhode Island
What’s Happening @ Scituate High School
To-Do List
Common Application
College and Post-Secondary Education
Financial Aid

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Scituate High School

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College Planning

To-Do List

Junior Year

College Visits
Attend College Fairs
SAT & ACT
Recommendation Letters
Create a Resume
Summer Job
Meet with Counselors

Senior Year

Common Application
College Essay
Admissions Types – Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Admissions, and Rolling Admissions
FAFSA
CSS Profile
Book an Appointment with the College Planning Center of Rhode Island
Financial Aid Nights
High School Transcripts
Financial Aid Award Letters
Deposit typically due as of May 1^st
Get Ready for Freshman Year over the upcoming summer

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Common Application

College Name

Institution Type: Coed, Coordinate, Men, and Women

Application Fees: United States(US) or International

Common App: C&G - Course and Grades, P&E - common app personal essay

Supplements: Portfolio and WS - Writing Sample

Test Policy: Always Required, Never Required, Sometimes Required, Test Flexible and Test Ignored
SAT/ACT: Act w/Essay, SAT w/o Essay, See Website, and International

Recommendations: Teacher Evaluation(TE), Optional Evaluation(OE), Mid-Year Report(MR). Counselor Recommendation(CR)

Saves Forms

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Common Application

Dashboard - summary of colleges/universities

My Colleges

Complete college-specific questions and supplements
Invite and manage recommenders
Submit your application

Common Application

Profile
Family
Education
Testing
Activities
Writing
Courses & Grades

College Search

Financial Aid

Grants & Scholarship
Loans
Work Study

Request by email via the following link:

https://recsupport.commonapp.org/recommendersupport/s/contactsupport

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College and Post-Secondary Education

Public College/Universities
Private Colleges/ Universities
Online Degree Programs
Vocational Training
Apprenticeship Programs
United States Military Academies
Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)
United States Military Services
On-the-Job Training

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FINANCIAL AID???

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FINANCIAL AID – What it is…

Financial aid: Helps you pay for college and is provided through the federal government, state, school, or a private business or organization.

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Awarded for academics, athletics, or specific talent, etc.,

Awarded based on families’ financial need

MERIT

NEED BASED

FINANCIAL AID – How it is awarded…

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FAFSA

Free Application for Federal Student Aid*

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is an application for federal student aid.

You need to complete the FAFSA form to apply for federal student aid such as federal grants, work-study funds, and loans.

Completing and submitting the FAFSA form is free and gives you access to federal student aid—the largest source of aid— to help you pay for college or career/trade school.

Create Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID & Password:

Student
Parent Contributors

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

FAFSA Application:

https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa*

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COST OF ATTENDANCE

Transportation & Living Expenses

Books & Supplies

Tuition & Fees

Room & Board

Cost of Attendance includes direct costs (those on your tuition bill)

and indirect costs (such as books and living expenses).�

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STUDENT AID INDEX (SAI)

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number that your college’s or career school’s financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid you would receive if you attended the school.

This number results from the financial information you and your contributor(s) provide on your FAFSA® form.

This number is not a dollar amount of aid eligibility or what your family is expected to provide. A negative SAI indicates the student has a higher financial need. Learn how the SAI is calculated.

The college or career school will determine your financial need by subtracting your SAI from the cost of attendance.

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ELIGIBILITY FORMULA

Cost of Attendance

-Student Aid Index

Financial Need

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Types of Aid

Grants for financially needy undergraduates awarded through the college financial aid office.

2025-2026 max award: $7395.

PELL GRANT

Work-study jobs may be on or off campus. Employer may be the college, a non-profit community agency, or a profit organization. Provides part-time employment and pay must be at least federal minimum wage and paid on an hourly basis.

Work Study

For undergraduates pursuing first baccalaureate or professional degrees. Awarded first to students with exceptional financial need. Priority is given to PELL Grant recipients.

Awards range from $100 - $4,000.

Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant

(FSEOG)

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Types of Aid

There are 4 types of financial aid, broken into two categories

Gift Aid is money that doesn’t need to be repaid.

Grants
Scholarships

Self-help Aid adopts a self-investment philosophy.

Loans
Work-study

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Local scholarships are often easier to get than national scholarships
Scholarships aren’t just for straight-A students. Many are based on need or are awarded to students with certain traits or interests
You should never pay a service to find you scholarships. They are typically scams!
Don’t narrow your search to just the internet. Ask your guidance counselor, read the local newspapers, and check postings at your local library
Persist! Your scholarship search can’t be completed in a single day
Start your search at www.RIScholarships.org

Knowledge for College Scholarship https://www.risla.com/fin-lit-quiz

Scholarships

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Scholarships

Grants & scholarships
Student loans
Student employment
May meet some or all of your financial aid need or eligibility

Remember to

Limit the amount

You borrow

for college!

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College Programs in Rhode Island

Community College of Rhode Island College Promise Scholarship

Rhode Island College

Hope Scholarship

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Federal Direct Loans

SUBSIDIZED

UNSUBSIDIZED

Federal government pays interest while student is in school and in their grace period.

Awarded to students whose families can prove financial need.

Student is responsible for all interest charges accrued while in school.

Awarded to students whose families cannot prove financial need.

Note: FAFSA must be submitted in order to be eligible for Federal Direct Loans

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State-Based Education Loans

Since 1981, the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) has been a dedicated partner in your educational journey! As a non-profit quasi-state organization, we proudly provide affordable education loans, free college admissions, financial aid support through the College Planning Center, and valuable financial literacy training in high schools and colleges. We're here to empower you toward a bright future!

RISLA Loans offers a number of student loan products, that may help college students seeking a post-secondary degree, to complete their journey.

Loan products include*:

Immediate Repayment Student Loans
Deferred Repayment Student Loans
Parent Loans
Student Loan Refinance Loans

*For detailed loan information please refer to the RISLA website at the following website address; https://www.risla.com/home-page

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IRS 529 College Saving Plan

What is a 529 plan?

A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future education costs. 529 plans, legally known as “qualified tuition plans,” are sponsored by states, state agencies, or educational institutions and are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

There are two types of 529 plans: prepaid tuition plans and education savings plans. All fifty states and the District of Columbia sponsor at least one type of 529 plan. In addition, a group of private colleges and universities sponsor a prepaid tuition plan.

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Private Student Education Loans

Private Student Loans are available for students and parents to consider, as the means to help pay for college.

In Rhode Island there are banks/credit unions serving our fellow Rhode Islanders with private student loans, while at the same time offering financial products such as savings, checking, investments, as well as mortgages.

As to pricing, the student loans these same institutions offer a variety of student loan products, that may include variable rate loans as well as fixed rate loans, with a number of different repayment options.

In addition to local area businesses, there seems to be a number of student loan lenders on the internet, also offering pricing with variable rate loans, fixed rate loans, as well as a number of different repayment options.

A college education in many cases, outside of the purchase of a home and retirement, may be the largest investment a student and his or her parents may make in their lifetime. As such, it’s recommended comparing student loan programs from the federal government, state-based student loan lenders, as well as private loan lenders, to do what is in the best of interest of the student and his or her family.