Financial Aid

FAFSA Opt-Out Form Required for all Graduating Seniors that do NOT want to complete the FAFSA application (see letter from Mr. Cardenas, API)

Financial Aid Information – FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application (CADAA)

The California State priority deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) & California Dream Act Application (CADAA) financial aid applications for the 2024-2025 college school year is 3/2/2024. The FAFSA application has been updated and will open DECEMBER  2023

• WebGrants 4 Students (WGS):   

All FAFSA/CADAA applicants should register for an account with the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) WebGrants 4 Students at https://www.csac.ca.gov/webgrants-4-students after submitting their FAFSA/CADAA applications in order to track their status for receiving a Cal Grant.  Other important information such as “High School Graduation Verification” & “Confirming School of Attendance" must be done through this site to receive your Cal Grant.

•  For Class of 2024 - ALL students must complete the FAFSA yearly while in college.

Cal Grant GPA's 

will be submitted to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) by October 1, 2023.  Students must complete the FAFSA/CADAA  in order to be eligible.

FSA ID:  

Students & their parents should apply for their FSA ID at https://fsaid.ed.gov   Students have their personal FSA ID & the parents have their personal FSA ID (one ID per set of parents).  The Parent FSA ID can be the same one used for an older sibling.  The FSA ID is your electronic signature for your FAFSA application.

Reminder that your IRS tax return for 2022, is used for the 2024-2025 academic year. Use the IRS Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA to electronically load your 2022 tax information.  Deadline for FAFSA varies with each university.

California Dream Act Application (CADAA for undocumented students): 

Deadline is March 2, 2024; Open December 2023, at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/

• Resources available:

  • University of California Resources for Financial Aid:  

These 6 videos are available on the UC YouTube channel in the Admissions and Financial Aid Section:

o    The Cost of UC - “How much is UC going to cost?” (1:28)

o    Student Loans - “Do I have to take out a student loan to pay for UC?” (1:25)

o    Financial Aid for Transfer Students - “Should I apply for financial aid if I’m a transfer student?” (1:34)

o    Financial Aid Award Letters – “How to read your financial aid package” (1:10)

o    Changing Financial Circumstances – “What if my finances change after I submit my financial aid application” (0:35)

o    Cost Saving Tips – “Four Tips for reducing your college costs” (1:17)

• • • FAFSA Assistance:

o   FREE FAFSA Guide:  Download a FREE ebook for The Ultimate Guide to the FAFSA

• • • CADAA Assistance:  See your College & Career Center

• • • CSS Profile Assistance:  

The CSS Profile is a financial aid application that roughly 200 colleges and universities (nearly all private) use to determine eligibility for their own institutional financial aid.  Check https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx for the full list of colleges that use the Profile.  The cost is $25 for the initial CSS Profile; additional reports are $16.

o   If you have questions about the Profile, the Hotline for families:  (844) 202-0524

o   Khan Academy CSS Profile Video Tutorial: 

https://www.khanacademy.org/college-careers-more/college-admissions/paying-for-college/financial-aid-process/a/css-profile-walkthrough

• • • Interpreting the Financial Aid Letter

(excerpt from https://www.edvisors.com/fafsa/after-submitting/award-letter/)

 Financial aid award letters, also known as financial aid notifications, summarize the types and sources of student financial aid available to help the student finance the cost of his or her education.

The goal of this guide is to help students and their families understand how to evaluate financial aid award letters and determine the true cost of college, so that they can make a more informed decision about the tradeoffs between college affordability and college quality, between financial fit and academic fit. This guide also discusses how to compare real college costs on an apples-to-apples basis.

Paying for College - Net Price Calculator (U.S. Dept. of Education Calculator Center)

Cost of Attendance should be a big component in determining your list of college choices.  All colleges/universities are required to post “Net Price Calculators” on their websites (usually found in the Financial Aid section).  The calculators vary by school, however, it usually requires inputting tax information, Student GPA, & ACT/SAT scores.  There are 2 major categories of aid available:  Need-based Aid (based on family financial data) & Merit Aid (based on student GPA and/or ACT/SAT test scores).  Make sure you research your colleges to see what they offer since it varies from school to school.  Grants & Scholarships are FREE money that do not need to be repaid.  Loans need to be repaid with interest.

• • Need-based Aid:

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the universal federal application for determining financial need-based aid for higher education. The federal government, states, & colleges use the results (Student Aid Index, SAI) to determine your level of “financial need”.  Student Aid can include grants (Pell, Cal Grant), federal work study, and loans (Perkins, Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized, Direct PLUS, personal).  The FAFSA application period (for future college freshmen term 2024-2025) opens December 2023, and will use data from your 2022 tax return.  Take advantage of the IRS Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA application to electronically populate the FAFSA from your federal tax return.  In addition, some private universities utilize the CSS Profile which requires additional financial information. 

The FAFSA is FREE!  Beware of websites or companies that try to charge you to complete this form.  Make sure you go to FAFSA.gov

The California Dream Act Application (CADAA):  The California Dream Act allows undocumented and nonresident students (U.S. Citizens and eligible non-citizens) who qualify for a non-resident exemption under Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) to receive certain types of financial aid such as: private scholarships funded through public universities, state administered financial aid, university grants, community college fee waivers, and Cal Grants. In addition, the California Dream Act, allows eligible students to pay in-state tuition at any public college in California.  See FAQ sheet below

• •  Scholarships: 

Scholarships are FREE money that do not need to be repaid.  Beware of websites or companies that try to charge you to match & complete forms for your student.  There are many FREE sites that do the same thing:  Fastweb, Cappex, Sallie Mae, Scholarships.com, etc.

Scholarships usually require applications & some form of essay/personal statement.  Some scholarships are based on “merit/achievements” and some are based on “financial need”.   Your WHS CCC lists many scholarship on your Naviance account.  

It is not too early for seniors to be thinking of scholarship opportunities to help pay for college.  Many of the large Foundation scholarships occur from October-December (Coca-Cola, Elks, Ventura County Community Foundation, etc.).  Local scholarships generally occur in the spring from January-May (WHS Fan Club Foundation, Rotary, Westlake Women’s Club, etc.).

As you complete your applications for admission, make sure that you research & apply for university-specific scholarships for which you may be eligible (BEFORE you are accepted!).