Financial Aid

The rising costs of college intimidate many students and their parents. Eliminate some of the stress and worries by applying for financial aid; including, but not limited to Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) and Cal Grants. FAFSA and Cal Grants alone may award thousands of dollars a year to qualified students for college. Other financial aid options include campus based programs such as work-study where students obtain employment through the school they attend, as well as through scholarships from a variety of sources.

In order to apply for federal and state grants, applicants and the applicant’s custodial parent or parents must complete and submit a FAFSA form. The FAFSA can be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The steps and information required to fill out the FAFSA are outlined on www.studentaid.ed.gov or by phone at 1-800-FED-AID.

Both students and the student’s parent will need to create an FSA ID to fill out the FAFSA form. If parents already have an FSA ID (for an older sibling for example) for FAFSA, it is not necessary to obtain another. Once the FAFSA is completed and submitted, the reported information will be sent to the California Student Aid Commission. Information on your high school student’s GPA will be sent directly from HBUHSD to the California Student Aid Commission.

Your student’s application for financial aid through the California Student Aid Commission can be tracked online at www.calgrants.org by clicking on “Web Grants for Students” and setting up a personal, confidential account. The deadline for applying for the maximum award for Cal Grants is March 1 of the year the student will be attending; but apply as soon a possible as requests are processed on a first come, first served basis.

The FAFSA must be filed once a year in order for the students to be considered for Financial Aid. (If financial information such as income tax information is not available at the time of filing, the financial data can be estimated and updated when the actual information becomes available).

Once the FAFSA application is completed and accepted, a Student Aid Report (SAR) will be sent outlining the information reported on the FAFSA and usually includes your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is an index number used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid. It is advisable to review your SAR information and make any corrections or changes, if necessary. The school(s) you list on your FAFSA will get the SAR electronically.

Students in our district are eligible for the Frank M. Doyle Scholarship, which last year gave over $100,000.00 to college-bound seniors:

“The Frank M. Doyle Foundation offers your community a unique and unsurpassed opportunity. There is no minimum grade point average; there is no income cap. Age is not a factor. Both need based and merit scholarships are awarded. Our recipients attend trade schools, community colleges, state universities, the University of California system, the University of Nevada system, schools outside of California and Nevada, both public and private. They school to become beauticians and graphic artists as well as doctors and lawyers. The foundation’s focus is to enable students to pursue further education in order to encourage the endurance of a productive, prosperous, and resourceful community.”

More information is available at http://www.doylefound.org and at the College and Career Center page on this website:

Other very useful websites for navigating the world of college preparation and financial aid are: