Scholarships & Financial Aid

FAFSA/TAFSA Application Opens:

October for 2026-2027

General FAFSA Information

Senior Parents: Your students, with your help, must submit FAFSA to qualify for federal, state, and institutional aid. That includes:· Grants—free money… doesn’t need to be repaid!

Work Study—part time employment on campus that earn a wage that can be used for educational/daily college expenses
Scholarships— some institutions base scholarships award off of FAFSA completed status
Student Loans— federal money that must be repaid after graduation
Parent Loans—federal money that must be repaid after it is disbursed to student

Once your student completes and submits their FAFSA the colleges, that have admitted your student, will create a Financial Aid Award that may include some or all of the types of aid listed above. It is then up to your family to determine which awards you would like to accept. No award or offer can be made if the FAFSA is not completed.

FAFSA Priority Deadline: January 15th

FAFSA

http://studentaid.gov
You must have a social security number or resident alien card to
complete the FASFA.
- Tax Documents from the 2022 year will be
  utilized.
- Completion is recommended as early as possible.

TAFSA

Paper-based application.
For individuals without a social security number/resident alien
card.
Only available to Texas residents.

FAFSA CHECKLIST: Be prepared when it opens

FAFSA Step-by-Step Guide that walks students and families through each question of the FAFSA, including screenshots and explanations and a FAQ page for students with special circumstances. Here is the link https://www.standoutcollegeprep.com/fafsa-questions/

https://www.nitrocollege.com/fafsa-application

Helpful Scholarship links

Compare Award Letters - Great Website!

Comparing Award Letters Spreadsheet

Scholarship Tracker Handout

Scholarship and Financial Aid Information

Schoolinks- Have student click on Finance Tab on left side of screen- "District Posted Scholarships" are our local scholarships.
College-specific scholarships- Each university offers merit scholarship specific to their school. Check each university's website for information on scholarships and deadline
National Hispanic Scholarships
Scholarships A-Z (undocumented students)
Scholarship Search Engines
Texas Scholarship Directory, a list of 100+ vetted scholarships for students across the state, broken down by month. Here is the link https://risefirst.org/resources/resource-directory?location=Texas&category=Scholarship