Financial aid comes primarily from the federal and state governments and your college. 

• Federal aid includes Pell Grants, Work-Study, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and federal student loans.

• New York State financial aid includes the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), Excelsior Scholarships, Enhanced Tuition Awards, Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS), scholarships and other numerous special awards.

• Financial aid from colleges can be in the form of institutional grants, scholarships, work programs, or loans.

It all starts with completing the FAFSA - the Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Here is a link to the FAFSA page:  www.fafsa.ed.gov  

Here is a link to How to Create a FSA ID

The financial aid filing season opens Dec. 31 for students planning to attend college next fall. Students can file the FAFSA and New York State TAP applications to receive free and low-cost financial aid to help cover their college costs.

Students and parents can use the Internal Revenue Services' Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) to electronically transfer their tax return information when completing the FAFSA, making the application even easier to use.

Many colleges use the FAFSA information to calculate the amounts and types of financial aid that students may qualify for, and each college has its own schedule for awarding financial aid. Encourage your students to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible to both meet college deadlines and maximize their financial aid.

Help Completing the FAFSA

HESC offers students and their families with assistance in completing the FAFSA at our website StartHereGetThere.org. There, families can find important information about applying for financial aid a calendar of FAFSA completion events where they can get one-on-one help completing the form.

Online chat with a HESC representative is also available weekdays between 9am-4pm.

Reminders about the FSA ID

Students and families who plan to submit the FAFSA online should create an FSA ID.

The FSA ID is needed by students and their parents or guardians to electronically sign and submit the FAFSA. Students taking federal student loans will also need their FSA ID to sign for their loans (the Master Promissory Note).

Remember that:

• Students and parents can get an FSA ID while filling out the FAFSA; however, getting it ahead of time will make the entire process smoother.

• An FSA ID may only be created using your own personal information and is for the exclusive use of the student or parent. An FSA ID cannot be created by any individual on behalf of someone else, including a family member.

• An FSA ID must not be shared with anyone. Students should not share them with anyone, even if they are receiving help in filling out their FAFSAs.

• If they've forgotten their FSA ID, they can retrieve it by going to StudentAid.gov/login, verifying their email address and answering the challenge questions established when the FSA ID was first created.

• The information on record with the Social Security Administration must be correct or corrected before getting an FSA ID. Students and parents can contact the Social Security Administration at www.ssa.gov to learn how to correct any errors.