FREE FINANCIAL AID INFO AND LIVE EVENTS HOSTED BY HESC
All investments require some form of capital. Your higher education is an investment for your future! Higher education isn't free; however, it is possible with proper planning, preparation, and financing. Each college can offer its own financial aid in addition to aid you may receive from the government or private organizations.
Getting into the college of your dreams is nice, but figuring out how to afford attending that college is even better! Learn how to navigate the complete financial aid process or just parts of it with content provided by Khan Academy.
If you’re lucky enough to have family able to help pay for college, it will help to know just how much they can contribute.
Paying for college is more important than deciding on applying! You can't attend college if it isn't paid for somehow.
For most students planning to attend college or career school, financial aid is essential. We’ll walk you through how financial aid works, resources to pay for college, and loan repayment options.
If your family is not already putting aside money to pay for your college education, it’s not too late to get started with special savings accounts for education costs.
FinAid was established in the fall of 1994 as a public service. This award-winning site has grown into the most comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice and tools -- on or off the web. Access to FinAid is free for all users.
This guide is designed to help students and families navigate the U.S. Department of Education’s FAFSA in their quest to get financial aid for college. Free digital guides are available.
The key to unlocking student aid to help you pay for college, career school, or trade school is submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form!
If you plan to submit a 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, you should know that some family members may be identified as contributors.
Both you and your family members, as FAFSA form contributors, will be required to provide a signature on your FAFSA form and consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into your form. You can prepare by requesting contributors’ information, so that you can invite them to complete their section of your FAFSA form. Lastly, make sure contributors understand that they will need their own StudentAid.gov account and that providing their information on your FAFSA form does not make them financially responsible for your education.
If you plan to submit a 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, you will need to create a StudentAid.gov account username and password.
Not only can you use your StudentAid.gov account to complete and sign the FAFSA form, but you can also use it to sign the Master Promissory Note to receive student loans. You’ll also be able to explore loan repayment plans and access valuable resources like loan counseling and the PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) Help Tool.
Each contributor must create their own StudentAid.gov account. It’s important to safeguard account credentials and not share them with others, including family members. This video covers how to regain access to your account if necessary.
If you plan to submit a 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, gather the required documents and information that you’ll need to fill out the form.
You’ll need your Social Security number (SSN) if you have one and your parents’ SSNs if you are a dependent student. You and your contributors will be required to provide consent and approval to have federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into your form. If you need to manually enter information into the FAFSA form, gather tax documents and information on cash and untaxed income.
The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) helps eligible New York residents pay tuition at approved schools in New York State. Depending on the academic year in which you begin study, an annual TAP award can be up to $5,165. Because TAP is a grant, it does not have to be paid back.
The Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act gives undocumented and other students access to New York State‐administered grants and scholarships that support their higher education costs.
Most people already have a vague idea about what a scholarship is -- money that someone gives you to pay for school. That's actually pretty close. Basically, a scholarship (or a grant or a fellowship) is a sum of money awarded to a student in order to help him or her further his or her education. Instead of a loan, which accrues interest, or need-based financial aid, which is usually doled out by universities, scholarships are gifts that don't need to be paid back.
