Financial Aid

What is Financial Aid?

Financial Aid is money to help you pay for college.
Your Financial Aid Application must be submitted each year by March 2nd.

You may also be eligible for a CalKIDS account! Eligible students may have up to $1,500 in free money from the state of California to help pay for future higher education and career training expenses.

CalKIDS Information

financial aid Requirement

Opt-Out Form in Chinese

Opt-Out Form in English

Opt-Out Form in Spanish

Attention Seniors and families!

The state of California now requires all high school seniors to complete a financial aid application or complete an opt-out form.

Completing a financial aid application is helpful for students who are interested in enrolling in any post-secondary program. For students who do not plan to complete a financial aid application, an opt-out form must be completed and emailed to vgalaviz@slusd.us. To read more about this new state requirement, you can view this article here.

You can view the documents needed to complete FAFSA/CADAA in the section below!

WhICH financial aid application should YOU complete?

Students only need to complete one of the applications listed below. Please check to see which eligibility requirements you meet before starting your Financial Aid applications.

If you're unsure about which application you should complete, please visit the College and Career Center (Room 400) and ask Ms. Vanessa or Ms. Sierra.

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is for federal financial aid.

You are eligible to complete the FAFSA if:

you are a US Citizen
you are a Permanent Resident
you are an eligible non-citizen, or
you have a T Visa

CA Dream ACT

The California Dream Act Application, or CADAA, is for state financial aid.

You are eligible to complete the CADAA if:

you are Undocumented
you have valid or expired DACA status
you have a U Visa
you have Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
AND you meet the non-resident exemptions under AB 540

What DO YOU NEED To Complete your
financial aid application?

SLHS FINANCIAL AID Flyer.jpg

css profile for private schools

Note: Some private colleges may ask you to complete a CSS profile, which is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid. Only fill this out if a school requires it.

Learn more about CSS Profile

CSS Profile Guide

List of Schools Requiring CSS Profile

FAFSA Information

To complete the FAFSA, students and parents/guardians will need:

Student's FSA ID (see FSA ID Account section below)
Parent/Guardian's FSA ID (see FSA ID Account section below)
A list of colleges and universities the student is applying to
Social Security Numbers (Students must have SSNs to apply for FAFSA. Parents/Guardians do not need to have a SSN for their student to apply for FAFSA)
Permanent Resident Card (if student is not a US Citizen)
Parent/Guardian's Federal Income Tax Returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned (you may be able to provide consent and approval for FAFSA to retrieve federal tax information from the IRS)
Bank Statements and records of investments (if applicable)
Records of untaxed income (if applicable)

Apply for FAFSA

FSA ID account for fafsa

Create Your FSA ID

Items needed to create your and your parent/guardian's FSA ID:

Social Security Number
Personal Professional Email
Personal Number

Make sure to write and store all of the information used to create the FSA ID in a safe place.

The FSA ID you create for yourself and/or your parent/guardian will be the same every year.

CA Dream ACT Information

To complete the CA Dream Act Application, students and parents/guardians will need:

to know the AB 540/SB 68 requirements
Student's Username and Password for the CA Dream Act
Parent/guardian's Parent PIN, used to electronically sign the application when submitted
Parents/guardian's federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned
Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
A list of all colleges and universities you applied to

Apply for the CA Dream Act

Note: If you have further questions, including how to ensure you are completing the correct financial aid application, you can visit the Immigrants Rising website and review the document titled, “FAFSA VS CA Dream Act: Apply to the Correct Financial Aid,” at https://immigrantsrising.org/resource/fafsa-vs-ca-dream-act-apply-to-the-correct-financial-aid-in-ca/

CAL GRANT Awards

What is a Cal Grant Award?

A Cal Grant is money for college that you don't have to pay back. There are 3 kinds of Cal Grants that you could receive:

Cal Grant A: helps pay for tuition and fees at 4-year colleges
Cal Grant B: provides a living allowance, in addition to tuition and fee assistance
Cal Grant C: assists with the costs of a technical or career education

Note: You don't have to figure out which one to apply for! Your eligibility will be based on your responses on your FAFSA or CADAA.

How do I qualify for Cal Grant?

To qualify, you must apply for FAFSA or CADAA by March 3rd, 2025 and meet the eligibility and financial requirements, as well as any minimum GPA requirements. There is no separate application to complete to qualify for Cal Grant.

Learn more about Cal Grants

Financial Aid FAQ's

What's the Difference between FAFSA and CA Dream ACT?

FAFSA allows students who are US Citizens/Permanent Residents to apply for Federal Student Aid. This money comes from the Federal Government and can be used at any accredited college/university in the United States.

The CADAA allows students who are Undocumented/have DACA status to apply for State Student Aid. This money comes from the state of California and can only be used at any accredited college/university in California. Other states may have similar programs, but their aid would only apply to colleges/universities in their state.

Why do I need to submit my Financial Aid Application by march 3rd, 2025?

In general, it is best to submit your Financial Aid applications as soon as possible. Funding for Financial Aid is limited, and students who complete their applications sooner have a better chance at receiving more financial aid.

As a reminder, FAFSA and CADAA both open on December 1st, 2024. The last day to submit them to be considered for a Cal Grant Award is March 3rd, 2025.

What type of financial Aid could I receive?

There are 3 different types of Financial Aid that you could receive if you complete your FAFSA/CADAA:

Grants: money that you do not have to pay back!
Loans: money that is borrowed & builds interest, and will need to be paid back upon graduation from college
Work-Study: money for your education that you can earn by working

Who is considered my "contributor" on my financial aid application?

If you're in a situation where you're unsure which parent/guardian's information you should be including on your Financial Aid application, please check this guide to determine whose information you should include.

What if my parents/guardians haven't filed their 2023 taxes yet?

Students can still submit their FAFSA/CADAA without having their parents/guardian's 2023 Tax Returns. If this is the case, you can estimate your family's 2023 household income, submit your application, and return to the application to make changes once you have their completed Tax Return forms.

I made a Mistake on my Financial Aid Application. Can I Fix it?

As long as you've submitted your financial aid application at least once, you can make corrections to it even after the March 3rd deadline! Your application needs to be marked as "processed" before you can make corrections.

To make corrections, log back on to either FAFSA or CADAA, make the corrections you need, and then submit the application again. Remember that your parent/guardian must sign the application again every time you submit it.

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